A  TEXTBOOK 
OF  SEX  EDUCATION 


A  TEXTBOOK 
OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

FOR  PARENTS  AND  TEACHERS 


BY 

WALTER  M.  GALLICHAN 

Author  of  "The  Psychology  of  Marriage,"  "The 
Great  Unmarried,'*  etc. 


BOSTON 

SMALL,  MAYNARD  &  COMPANY 
PUBLISHERS 


Copyright,  1921, 

BY  SMALL,  MAYNARD  &  COMPANY 
(INCOBPORATED) 


TO  MY  WIFE 
NORAH  KATHLEEN  GALLICHAN 


470153 


"  FOR  the  due  discharge  of  parental  functions,  the  proper  guid- 
ance is  to  be  found  only  in  Science." —  HERBERT  SPENCER. 

"  THERE  is  no  creature  more  liable  than  man  to  be  spoiled  by 
bad  training  on  the  one  hand,  or  to  be  improved  by  good 
training  on  the  other ;  and  if  the  present  age  has  any  good 
reason  to  hope,  as  we  are  inclined  to  think  it  has,  that  it  con- 
tains within  itself  the  germs  of  a  higher  development  of  the 
race  than  the  earth  has  yet  seen,  such  hope  can  grow  only 
from  the  serious  concern  with  which  both  parents  and  teach- 
ers shall  bring  themselves  into  a  reverential  attitude  before 
the  great  vital  forces  of  Nature,  physical  and  moral." —  Prof. 
JOHN  STUART  BLACKIE. 

"  IT  may  be  at  last  that  sexual  love  —  that  tired  angel  who 
through  the  ages  has  presided  over  the  march  of  humanity, 
with  distraught  eyes,  and  feather-shafts  broken,  and  wings 
drabbled  in  the  mires  of  lust  and  greed,  and  golden  locks 
caked  over  with  the  dust  of  injustice  and  oppression  —  till 
those  looking  at  him  have  sometimes  cried  in  terror,  '  He  is 
the  Evil  and  not  the  Good  of  life/  and  have  sought,  if  it 
were  not  possible,  to  exterminate  him  —  shall  yet,  at  last, 
bathed  from  the  mire  and  dust  of  ages  in  the  streams  of 
friendship  and  freedom,  leap  upwards,  with  white  wings 
spread,  resplendent  in  the  sunshine  of  a  distant  future  —  the 
essentially  Good  and  Beautiful  of  human  existence." — OLIVE 

SCHREINER. 


PREFACE 

FIFTY  years  ago  sexual  conduct,  when  taught  at 
all,  was  inculcated  by  moral  maxims  alone.  Parents 
counselled  chastity,  and  left  the  rest  to  "  natural 
instinct,*'  without  suspecting  that  instinct  is  not  a 
guide  to  social  behaviour.  The  primary  aim  was 
the  preservation  of  "  innocence  "  in  the  young  by  a 
compulsory  ignorance.  In  my  youth  we  were  told 
that  the  wonders  of  reproduction  were  improper  sub- 
jects of  inquiry.  Our  eager  normal  curiosity  was 
hushed,  but  not  stifled.  The  mysteries  grew  enor- 
mously, and  occupied  the  mind  with  futile  bewilder- 
ment and  speculation.  Enlightenment  was  entirely 
banned  in  the  home.  We  learned  the  sacred  truths 
of  life  at  haphazard,  casually,  furtively,  and  in  the 
process  we  drank  from  poisoned  wells  and  our  souls 
sickened. 

Sex  was  early  associated  in  the  juvenile  mind  with 
the  unclean,  the  pathological  and  the  repellent  things 
of  human  life.  Curiosity  and  disgust  waged  a 
strange  conflict.  We  garnered  fantasies  and  false- 
hoods instead  of  facts.  Those  of  us  who  were  en- 
couraged to  respect  for  married  love  were  perplexed 
by  the  attitude  of  our  elders  regarding  "  sex.7'  We 
were  taught  that  the  "  flesh,"  the  human  body,  was 
"  animal/'  and  that  the  aim  of  virtue  was  annihila- 
tion of  "  lower  desires,"  the  very  instincts  that  arose 


PREFACE 

formidably  at  the  period  when  the  spiritual  nature 
began  to  awaken.  The  power  and  the  splendour  of 
the  love  of  the  sexes  were  not  revealed  to  us  by  sym- 
pathetic home  teaching.  Our  ideas  of  "  love  "  and 
"  sex "  were  contradictory,  misleading  and  fre- 
quently demoralising.  The  sparse  knowledge  gained 
at  the  mother's  knee  was  vulgarly  distorted  and  sup- 
plemented by  conversations  with  others  who  had 
been  reared  in  the  customary  tradition  and  were  sup- 
posed to  be  "  innocent." 

One  of  the  supreme  difficulties  in  educational 
guidance  in  sexual  morality  and  hygiene  is  the  pre- 
paratory expulsion  from  the  mind  of  the  pupil  of 
these  preconceived  ideas,  idle  fables,  and  indecent 
notions  learned  from  ignorant  and  vicious  sources. 
The  state  of  "  innocence  "  is  an  impossibility  among 
modern  boys  and  girls.  Even  in  those  rare  instances 
where  the  system  of  protection  through  ignorance 
appears  to  be  effective,  there  has  been  no  protection 
against  the  spontaneous  awakening  of  impulse.  We 
cannot  assert  positively  that  there  is  no  sexuality  in 
the  very  youngest  of  children.  Signs  are  evident 
in  many  cases  in  infancy.  Apart  from  all  external 
influence,  there  is  the  probability  of  peripheral  stimu- 
lation arousing  emotion  and  manifestation. 

Sex  education  is  not  a  mere  question  of  peda- 
gogics. It  is  a  main  part  of  education  throughout 
the  whole  of  life.  Sexual  love  touches  morality  and 
hygiene  at  almost  every  point.  Inquiry  into  the 
most  massive  emotion  experienced  by  humanity  is 
an  absolute  essential  of  sociology. 


PREFACE 

In  writing  this  Textbook,  a  task  involving  spe- 
cific difficulties,  I  have  endeavored  to  systematise 
a  method  of  teaching  which  will  be  helpful  to  pa- 
rents and  all  who  have  the  care  of  children  and 
adolescents.  It  is  obvious  that  there  cannot  be  a 
strictly  formulated  single  mode  of  instruction.  I 
hope  that  what  I  have  written  may  assist  in  prepar- 
ing the  way  for  wide  parental  and  scholastic  effort 
in  this  urgent  educational  reform.  I  trust  that  this 
volume  may  impress  some  unpersuaded  minds  with 
the  importance  of  the  subject  discussed. 

The  Lessons  for  young  children  and  those  of 
school  age  are  indications  and  suggestions  for  the 
consideration  of  teachers  who  are  puzzled  concern- 
ing the  method  of  conveying  instruction  to  boys  and 
girls  of  different  ages.  This  is  not  a  book  for  the 
young,  but  for  the  instructor.  It  has  been  arranged 
to  supply  a  basis  of  sex  education,  and  the  Lessons 
given  may  suggest  many  others.  The  discretion  of 
the  parent  or  teacher  must  always  be  exercised  in 
accord  with  the  child's  sex,  age  and  temperament. 

WALTER  M.  GALLICHAN. 


CONTENTS 

PART  L—  GENERAL  CONSIDERATIONS 
CHAPTKB  PAGE 

I  ^INTRODUCTORY 3 

II  -DIFFICULTIES 15 

III  A  HISTORICAL  SURVEY 30 

IV  MODERN  DEVELOPMENTS 42 

PART  II.—  SCIENTIFIC  TEACHING 

I  PREPARATION  FOR  TEACHING 49 

II  INSTRUCTION  OF  YOUNG  CHILDREN    ....     68 

III  INSTRUCTION  FOR  ADOLESCENT  BOYS  ....     84 

IV  EDUCATION  FOR  ADOLESCENT  GIRLS   .     .     .     .121 
V  SEXUAL  HYGIENE  IN  CHILDHOOD  AND  YOUTH  .   157 

VI    PHYSIOLOGY 168 

VII    THE  PSYCHOPATHOLOGY  OF  SEX 174 

PART  III.—  EDUCATIONAL  FACTORS 

I    THE  HOME  TRAINING 185 

II    THE  SCHOOL 212 

III  SOCIAL  INFLUENCES 234 

IV  THE  BOOK .  246 

PART  IV 

I    THE  MENACE  OF  IGNORANCE 261 

II    WOMAN'S  PART  IN  SEX  EDUCATION  .  .  282 


PART  I 
GENERAL  CONSIDERATIONS 


A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX 
EDUCATION 


CHAPTER  I 

INTRODUCTORY 

THE  moral  and  rational  direction  of  the  erotic,  or 
sexual,  impulse,  through  rightful  education  in  the 
home  and  the  school,  is  now  recognised  by  most 
thoughtful  minds  as  an  essential  of  social  ethics  and 
national  hygiene.  During  the  past  fifty  years  the 
need  for  this  important  instruction  in  the  conduct  of 
life  has  been  urged  by  reformers,  clergymen,  physi- 
cians and  teachers  in  Europe  and  America.  Parents, 
in  an  ever-increasing  number,  are  becoming  solicitous 
for  the  right  guidance  of  children  in  the  understand- 
ing, the  control  and  the  sublimation  of  the  sex  emo- 
tion. There  is  an  unprecedented  demand  for  en- 
lightenment in  this  long-neglected  field  of  personal, 
social,  and  racial  health.  The  methods  of  withhold- 
ing sane  knowledge,  obscuring  the  great  facts  of 
human  life,  and  meeting  inquiry  with  indifference, 
evasion  or  falsehood  have  been  tried  and  found 
injurious. 

Ignorance  in  this  matter  has  proved  one  of  the 
3 


OF  SEX  EDUCATION 


strongest  allies  of  vice  and  disease.  Prudery  has 
never  fostered  purity.  The  condemnation  of  a  natu- 
ral spirit  of  curiosity  has  not  annihilated  curiosity, 
but  transformed  it  into  furtive  prurience.  Impure, 
vulgar  and  pernicious  sources  of  information  have 
been  substituted  for  objective  scientific  teaching; 
and  the  whole  subject  of  sex  love  and  reproduction 
has  tended  to  become  a  morbid  preoccupation  of  dis- 
torted minds. 

In  the  civilised  countries  it  is  almost  rare  to  find 
a  man  or  woman  who  has  developed  rationally  or 
sanely  in  knowledge  of  the  vital  instinct.  Civilisa- 
tion intensifies  the  secondary  sexual  characters,  and 
accentuates  and  elaborates  the  complexity  of  the  emo- 
tion of  love.  It  has  never  been  simple  to  direct  and 
inhibit  the  most  powerful  of  passions  experienced 
by  mankind.  Progress  has  been  a  constant  repres- 
sion, involving  conflict,  and  giving  rise  to  stern  com- 
bat between  .social  custom  and  moral  ideas  and 
strongly  vehement  primitive  desires.  Refinement 
does  not  destroy  the  force  of  this  universal  impul- 
sion. All  the  artifices  and  the  culture  of  the  past 
great  civilisations  complicated  the  relation  of  sex  to 
society. 

Anthropology  and  psychology,  and  more  especially 
the  investigation  of  the  subconscious,  or  unconscious, 
self,  are  demonstrating  that  the  fear  of  sex  has  never 
been  absent  from  the  minds  of  men.  The  association 
of  sex  with  the  holy,  or  the  forbidden,  and  the  wide- 
spread ascription  of  danger  in  the  union  of  the  sexes, 
cannot  be  banished  from  the  human  brain  in  a  few 


INTRODUCTORY  5 

generations.  Very  slowly  we  are  approaching,  for 
the  first  time  in  man's  history,  a  sane  intellectual 
perception  of  the  sexual  impulse.  The  more  widely 
the  subject  is  studied  the  stronger  becomes  the  con- 
viction that  an  eternal  ignorance  has  gravely  misled 
humanity. 

All  the  rigorous  endeavours  to  ignore  the  sway  of 
sex,  to  annihilate  desires,  to  expel  nature,  and  to 
extol  celibacy  as  the  highest  spiritual  ideal  have 
proved  unavailing.  These  efforts  of  total  suppres- 
sion have  often  induced  abnormality  and  vice;  for 
the  way  of  sublimation  is  not  in  attempted  extinction, 
but  in  transference.  The  very  teaching  of  chastity 
has  been  widely  nugatory  through  a  misapprehension 
of  psychological  laws,  mental  processes  and  mani- 
fold internal  and  external  factors  influencing  sexual 
development. 

Dread  of  the  force  of  sex  has  had  a  large  share  in 
the  framing  of  moral  and  social  codes.  There  is, 
however,  always  the  risk  that  fear  may  become  mor- 
bid or  pathological.  And  there  can  be  no  question 
that  this  psycho-neurotic  anxiety  is  a  very  common 
symptom  among  the  civilised. 

As  an  instance  of  the  fear  of  sexual  manifestations 
arising  from  ignorance  I  may  cite  the  following 
extract  from  a  letter  to  President  G.  Stanley  Hall, 
written  by  a  well-known  doctor  of  philosophy:  — 

"  My  entire  youth,  from  six  to  eighteen,  was  made 
miserable  from  lack  of  knowledge  that  anyone  who 
knew  anything  of  the  nature  of  puberty  might  have 
given.  This  long  sense  of  defect,  dread  of  opera- 


6   A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

tion,  shame  and  worry  has  left  an  indelible  mark." 
Few  men  and  women  of  to-day  are  entirely  free 
from  sex  phobias  or  safe  from  psychic  sexual 
affronts  or  conflicts.  The  untaught  child  or  youth 
is  dangerously  exposed  to  these  secret  fears  and  to 
the  chances  of  shock,  sometimes  leading  to  a  minor 
neurosis  or  a  life  of  mental  conflict.  For  example, 
it  is  well  known  that  the  first  appearance  of  the 
monthly  function  alarms  a  great  number  of  unin- 
structed  girls.  In  numerous  cases  described  by 
physicians  hysteria  began  at  this  crisis,  and  in  others 
sensitive  girls  have  attempted  suicide  under  the  delu- 
sion that  they  were  assailed  with  a  terrible  disease. 
Probably,  in  ordinary  normal  instances,  the  unin- 
formed girl  endures  considerable  anxiety  and  be- 
wilderment at  the  first  menstrual  period. 

The  dreads  and  frights  to  which  inexperienced 
brides  are  the  prey  are  an  exceedingly  common 
cause  of  psychic  injury.  The  agonies  of  morally- 
predisposed  lads,  wrought  by  sudden  spontaneous 
longings,  and  by  the  phenomenon  of  the  nocturnal 
dream  and  automatic  emission,  can  scarcely  be  exag- 
gerated. 

The  new  system  of  psychotherapeutics  (mind- 
healing)  instituted  by  Freud,  and  employed  by  Jung, 
Bjerre,  Ferenczi,  Brill,  Ernest  Jones  and  other  men- 
tal pathologists,  is  enlarging  our  knowledge  of  the 
dominant  part  that  sex  plays  in  human  psychology. 
Psychologists  of  eminence  are  satisfied,  after  many 
years  of  research,  that  one  of  the  chief  sources  of  the 
minor  mental  disturbances  that  afflict  millions  of 


INTRODUCTORY  7 

men  and  women  of  our  times  is  to  be  sought  in  erotic 
complexes.  These  obscure  longings,  fears  and  un- 
gratified  wishes  may  appear  quite  unrelated  to  the 
sexual  impulse.  Nevertheless,  in  the  mature  view  of 
scientific  inquiries,  there  is  always  a  lesion,  a  psychic 
injury  connected  with  sex,  or  a  fixation  of  infantile 
impressions. 

Although  some  of  the  exponents  of  the  new  psy- 
chology, do  not  accept,  in  an  unqualified  degree,  this 
unvarying  causation  of  neurosis,  they  are  all  pro- 
foundly impressed  by  the  powerful  influence  of  the 
sexual  libido  upon  thought  and  action  that  may  seem 
entirely  devoid  of  such  influence.  Whenever  we 
encounter  morbid  anxiety,  or  "  anxiety-neurosis,"  we 
shall  find,  on  the  evidence  of  the  psycho-analysts,  "  a 
reaction  against  repressed  sexuality."  The  u  key  to 
the  problem  of  the  psychoneuroses,"  it  is  maintained, 
can  only  be  found  by  those  who  accept  the  sexual 
cause  of  the  pathological  states.  "  The  erotic  con- 
flict," states  Jung,  of  Zurich  University,  "  is  the  key 
to  the  conception  of  neurosis."  "  The  question 
which  troubles  the  patient  is  —  whether  you  like  it  or 
not  —  the  '  sexual  question,'  or,  more  precisely,  the 
problem  of  present-day  sexual  morality/' 

Those  who  boast  that  love  conflicts  do  not  trouble 
them,  that  the  sexual  question  is  "  nonsense,"  and 
that  they  have  no  sexual  emotions  are  quite  uncon- 
scious fhat  a  host  of  nervous  signs,  and  even  some 
physical  symptoms,  reveal  quite  plainly  to  the  psycho- 
therapist that  "  the  great  conflict "  is  the  origin  of 
their  trouble,  though  ascribed  by  them  to  other 


8   A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

sources.1  "  Only  a  few  "  can  escape  this  common 
human  perplexity. 

"  Neurosis  is  probably  altogether  impossible  with 
healthy  physiological  marital  life.  .  .  .  The  major 
amount  of  the  nerves  and  hysteria  of  the  present 
day  may  be  traced  to  faulty  sexual  hygiene."  2  No 
evidence  is  now  wanting  to  support  the  view  that 
sexual  ignorance  is  a  fruitful  cause  of  neurotic  and 
psychic  disorder. 

A  single  misstatement  on  the  part  of  the  parent 
may  shatter  a  child's  faith  in  the  parental  wisdom 
and  honesty.  We  need  a  complete  candour.  Facts 
are  the  only  secure  basis  for  moral  codes  and  the 
only  guide  in  the  hygiene  of  the  sex  life.  It  is  just 
the  ignoring  of  facts  that  leads  us  into  neurosis,  per- 
version and  vice.  "  Shielding  "  the  young  may,  and 
often  does,  defeat  its  object  very  disastrously.  One 
chance  conversation  with  an  attractive  but  vicious  or 
vulgar  companion  may  entirely  obliterate  all  the  par- 
ental influence.  "  Facts,"  that  is  to  say,  scientific 
knowledge  —  must  always  be  the  surest  protection 
of  youth  or  adult. 

The  sex  development  of  the  girl,  especially  at  the 
period  of  puberty,  is  more  complicated  than  that  of 
the  boy.  Yet  it  is  precisely  the  girl  whose  sex  educa- 
tion is  most  neglected.  That  the  methods  of  im- 
parting the  necessary  instruction  must  often  vary  to 
some  extent  in  regard  to  the  sex  of  the  pupil  will  be 
admitted  by  most  teachers.  But  any  suggestion  that 

1  Analytical  Psychology. 

2  The  Healthy  'Marriage.     G.  T.  Wrench,  M.D.,  B.Sc. 


INTRODUCTORY  9 

the  truth  should  be  withheld  from  girls,  by  reason  of 
their  superior  feminine  modesty,  can  only  be  re- 
garded as  reactionary.  Among  all  the  writers  who 
may  lay  claim  to  attention  in  this  matter  I  can  only 
recall  one,  Professor  Munsterberg,  who  affirms  that 
girls  should  not  receive  any  instruction.  Undoubt- 
edly the  character  and  the  manner  of  sex  education 
are  of  supremely  vital  importance;  but  the  enlight- 
enment must  certainly  be  as  sound  in  the  case  of 
girls  as  in  boys. 

There  may  indeed  be  excellent  reasons  why  the 
education  of  girls  in  sexual  physiology  and  hygiene 
should  be  wider  than  that  of  their  brothers.  The 
burden  of  parentage  falls  chiefly  upon  the  female 
sex,  not  only  in  married  life,  but  from  the  pre-pu- 
bertal  stage  until  the  menopause.  Sex  is  more  gener- 
ally diffused  in  woman  than  in  man.  She  is  destined 
to  conceive  and  bear  as  well  as  to  spiritual  love,  and 
to  these  ends  she  is  forced  to  endure  physiological 
disabilities.  Moreover,  as  the  first  and  earliest  teach- 
ers of  the  young,  women  have  an  immense  responsi- 
bility towards  their  children  and  to  the  community. 
It  is  therefore  very  important  that  the  mothers  should 
be  well  taught  before  they  essay  to  teach.  Further- 
more, love  being  even  more  essential  for  the  psychic 
and  physical  well-being  of  woman  than  of  man,  and 
as  her  main  interests  are  concentrated  upon  the 
family  life  and  the  tending  of  children,  her  knowl- 
edge of  the  principles  of  healthy  procreation  and 
the  rearing  of  the  young  should  be  as  complete  as 
possible ;  and  the  sex  question  in  all  its  bearings  upon 


io  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

the  home,  the  morals  of  the  young,  and  the  laws  and 
customs  of  society  should  be  a  question  of  paramount 
significance. 

The  sexual  problem  exists  for  all  of  us,  and  al- 
though civilisation  intensifies  the  problem,  it  pro- 
vides also,  by  the  extension  of  knowledge,  science 
and  experience,  the  means  for  grappling  with  the 
difficulty.  No  one  who  has  a  sense  of  responsibility 
towards  the  children  born  to  him  can  evade  this  ques- 
tion. The  average  conscientious  parent  wishes  that 
his  son  and  daughter  may  fare  better  through  the 
dangers  and  trials  of  life  than  he  has  fared.  It  is  his 
desire  that  his  child  may  grow  up  sane  in  mind  and 
sound  in  body,  well  equipped  for  the  inexorable 
struggle  of  modern  life.  The  ordinary  system  of 
education  provides  only  a  few  of  the  essentials  of 
such  equipment.  A  boy  or  girl  may  pass  years  at 
school  and  college  and  remain  in  late  adolescence 
completely  ignorant  of  the  structure  of  their  bodies 
and  the  physical  functions.  At  the  onset  of  puberty, 
when  bodily  and  psychic  manifestations  of  a  novel 
nature  intrude  themselves,  and  lead  to  inevitable 
speculation  and  reflection,  the  youth  and  the  maiden 
are  interned  for  the  greater  part  of  each  year  with 
members  of  their  own  sex  and  separated  from  the 
parents.  It  is  now  that  the  soul  of  the  young  awak- 
ens. This  is  the  supreme  hour  for  learning  the  first 
important  lessons  of  life.  Can  it  be  said  that  the 
average  boy  or  girl  receives  even  a  rudimentary  en- 
lightenment at  this  critical  age?  Such  information 
as  the  young  gain  is  gathered  casually  and  hap- 


INTRODUCTORY  n 

hazard  by  conversations  with  companions  as  ignorant 
as  themselves,  by  chance  reading,  and  by  secret  con- 
jecture. 

At  this  adolescent  climax  the  vital  energy  begins  to 
arise  in  a  new  form.  Between  the  early  spontaneous 
manifestations  of  this  energy  in  childhood  and  the 
fresh  arousing  at  the  coming  of  puberty  there  is 
usually  a  latency  period.  The  boy  or  girl  is  often 
not  consciously  interested  in  sexual  affairs  at  this 
stage  of  pre-pubertal  development.  But  the  devel- 
opment of  the  mysterious  internal  secreting  glands, 
with  the  hormones  or  "  arousers,"  begins  to  affect 
emotion  and  tinge  thought.  Without  any  external 
stimulation  there  may  be  a  mingling  of  hormone 
fluids  with  the  blood  stream,  causing  vague  unrest 
and  new  longings.  There  are  also  specific  signs  in 
the  parts  of  generation,  giving  rise  to  unsatisfied 
reflections  and  often  to  considerable  perplexity  and 
wonder.  The  mental  soil  is  prepared  for  aberrant 
or  morbid  brooding.  There  is  a  development  of 
secretiveness  and  shyness.  Often  physical  sensa- 
tions, unrestfulness,  worry  about  passing  examina- 
tions, the  suggestion  or  example  of  companions,  curi- 
osity leading  to  experiment  or  lascivious  conversa- 
tions are  the  incentives  to  a  habit  of  excessive  mas- 
turbation. 

Frequently  there  is  a  youthful  tendency  to  sexual 

inversion  which  is  partly  due  to  the  segregation  of 

the  sexes.     Both  boys  and  girls  are  liable  to  develop 

.a  semi-passionate  affection,  or  a  sensuous  attachment, 

for  one  of  their  own  sex.     This  temporary  aberra- 


12  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

tion  in  adolescence  is  so  prevalent  that  some  scientific 
inquirers  regard  it  almost  as  a  normal  phase  of 
youthful  sex  development.  It  is  certain  that  these 
attractions  are  most  frequently  of  a  purely  senti- 
mental character,  and  they  may  be  described  as  a 
reaching  out  of  the  young  emotions  for  love.  In 
many  instances  the  pupil,  boy  or  girl,  is  affected 
emotionally  by  an  older  person  of  the  same  sex. 
There  is  in  some  cases  a  risk  that  the  susceptible  or 
the  predisposed  by  heredity  may  become  actually  in- 
verted (homo-sexual),  especially  when  under  the  in- 
fluence of  an  adult  of  an  abnormal  type.  This 
danger  is  so  plainly  recognised  by  all  intelligent 
teachers  that  there  is  no  need  here  to  enlarge  upon  it. 
Unquestionably  a  want  of  comprehension  of  the  sex- 
ual instinct  and  all  that  it  implicates  renders  the 
young  perilously  exposed  to  this  aberration  during 
the  years  of  tutelage. 

The  risks  for  the  unprepared  boy  are  increased 
when  he  leaves  school  and  mixes  freely  in  all  kinds 
of  company.  He  is  bound  to  encounter  licentious 
persons  whose  conversation  and  example  may  colour 
the  whole  of  his  career.  When  we  are  forewarned 
by  the  fact  that  in  Europe  an  enormous  number  of 
cases  of  gonnorrhcea  are  contracted  by  youths  under 
the  age  of  twenty-one,  we  should  realise  the  sheer 
necessity  for  safeguarding  the  young  by  fitting  in- 
struction upon  the  dangers  of  venereal  disease. 
Many  are  blighted  upon  the  very  threshold  of  man- 
hood. The  infection  of  young  children  is  terribly 


INTRODUCTORY  13 

frequent  in  Europe  and  America.  This  evil  is 
largely  traceable  to  sex  ignorance. 

"  A  well-known  woman  physician  of  Chicago  af- 
firms that  ignorance  is  often  responsible  for  the  at- 
titude of  the  girl  towards  immorality.  As  an 
instance  she  cites  the  case  of  a  girl  now  working  at 
one  of  the  establishments  in  the  stockyard  whose 
mother  '  did  not  tell  her  things/  She  is  now  five 
months  pregnant."  * 

There  is  now  a  wide  agreement  among  eminent 
physicians  and  the  commissioners  at  conferences  on 
venereal  maladies  that  one  of  the  most  effective  pre- 
ventives of  the  spread  of  the  evil  is  sex  education. 
"  Many  of  the  immoral  influences  and  dangers 
which  are  constantly  surrounding  young  children  on 
the  street,  in  their  amusements  and  in  business  life 
may  be  counteracted  and  minimised  by  proper  moral 
teaching  and  scientific  instruction."  2  Bloch  recom- 
mends such  enlightenment,  in  the  final  stage  of  edu- 
cation, in  sexual  physiology  and  hygiene.3 

We  must  accept  the  fact  that  the  great  mass  of 
persons  in  the  higher  civilised  societies  are  more  or 
less  unbalanced  in  their  judgments  upon  questions 
of  sex.  This  condition  is  due  to  a  want  of  educa- 
tion. No  doubt  inherited  tendency  to  fears  and 
superstitions,  bred  in  primitive  brains,  has  a  part 

1  The   Social  Evil  in  Chicago.    191 1.    American   Vigilance 
Association. 

2  Ibid. 

3  The  Sexual  Life  of  Our  Time.    Iwan  Bloch,  M.D.     Eng- 
lish trans,  by  Dr.  Eden  Paul.     1908. 


H  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

in  this  phenomenon  of  the  cultured  races.  But  lack 
of  sane  teaching  in  childhood  and  youth  is  the  chief 
cause  of  the  perversion  of  outlook  upon  the  subject. 
The  prudish  recoils  and  repugnances  and  the  libidi- 
nous prurience  spring  from  a  deplorably  defective 
knowledge  of  the  great  vital  emotion.  Our  want 
of  respect  for  sex  is  a  foe  to  true  morality,  and  a 
peril  to  national  and  racial  health  of  mind  and  body. 
The  primary  duty  of  legislators,  ethical  leaders, 
jurists,  pedagogues  and  sociologists  is  to  instruct 
themselves  in  the  science  of  sexualogy.  There  is 
no  possible  way  of  escape  from  the  Sex  Problem. 
The  libido,  in  its  wide  sense,  is  the  urge  of  all  hu- 
manity, just  and  unjust,  wise  and  simple,  rich  and 
poor  alike.  To  understand  human  nature  we  must 
understand  sex. 


CHAPTER  II 

DIFFICULTIES 


THE  principal  hindrances  to  the  diffusion  of  know- 
ledge of  the  laws  of  sex,  the  reproductive  process 
and  racial  improvement  are:  (i)  the  apathy  of  a 
large  number  of  the  community;  (2)  hesitation,  re- 
sistance, and  occasionally  hostility  on  the  part  of  a 
proportion  of  parents;  (3)  the  lack  of  capable  sci- 
entifically trained  instructors. 

The  indifference  to  the  question  is  undoubtedly 
lessening  among  the  educated  classes,  still  a  large 
amount  of  pioneer  work  is  necessary  before  the  need 
for  sex  education  on  sound  principles  is  widely  ad- 
mitted. We  have  still  an  opposing  party  advocat- 
ing silence,  obfuscation,  or  evasion.  There  are 
many  persons,  with  a  very  superficial  outlook  upon 
the  matter,  who  endeavour  to  persuade  themselves 
that  "  nature  "  takes  care  of  sexual  morality  and 
hygiene,  and  that  "  natural  instinct  "  provides  ade- 
quate guidance  in  childhood,  youth  and  conjugality. 
This  serious  misapprehension  causes  much  individ- 
ual and  social  error  and  calamity. 

As  for  those  who  belittle  or  condemn  all  effort 
to  spread  the  light  amid  a  gloom  that  can  only  be 

15 


16  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

described  as  Cimmerian  or  appalling,  we  can  merely 
hope  to  counteract  their  apathy  T>r  opposition  by 
tactful  education  in  socialisation.  Whenever  a  topic 
is  judged  by  the  unreflective  or  the  stubbornly  con- 
ventional as  unnecessary,  idle  or  unimportant,  we 
may  well  inquire  into  the  cause  of  the  resistance. 

Generally  it  will  be  discovered  that  the  actual  aver- 
sion towards  inquiry  is  a  test  of  deep  importance 
for  personal  study.  Individual  sex  complexes,  fear, 
shame,  prudery,  disillusionment  with  love,  and  mar- 
ital trouble  are  often  the  sources  of  an  almost  in- 
vincible prejudice  against  sex  psychology.  These 
resistances  are  extremely  common  in  the  civilised 
nations,  especially  in  the  West.  They  are  fre- 
quently so  strong  that  sex  matters  are  banished  to 
the  realm  of  the  undebatable,  and  sometimes  even 
described  as  "  revolting,"  "  disgusting,"  "  unclean  " 
or  "  abominable." 

Even  some  of  the  pioneers  of  women's  social  free- 
dom have  shown  resistance  to  enlightenment  in  simple 
facts  of  the  natural  order.  Mary  Wollstonecroft, 
who  was  considered  highly  "  advanced  "  in  her  day, 
declared  that  the  teaching  of  botany  and  the  repro- 
duction of  plants  to  young  women  would  soil  their 
innocence  and  imperil  their  sense  of  modesty.  Mrs. 
Lynn  Lynton  was  opposed  to  education  in  the  laws 
of  sex,  and  frequently  declaimed  against  the  spread 
of  vital  knowledge  among  women. 

It  follows  from  the  apathy,  want  of  knowledge 
and  the  inimical  attitude  that  so  few  parents  and 
pedagogues  are  fitted  for  the  duty  of  training  the 


DIFFICULTIES  17 

young  in  the  guidance  of  the  sex  impulse.  While 
there  is  no  widespread  recognition  of  the  supreme 
need  for  this  knowledge,  there  must  be  great  diffi- 
culty in  finding  well-qualified  monitors.  This  se- 
rious deficiency  can  only  be  mended  by  a  gradual 
process  of  popular  adult  education.  It  is  therefore 
necessary  to  reiterate  that  parental  and  scholastic  en- 
thusiasm must  be  fostered  by  every  possible  means. 
Granting  the  existence  of  a  still  formidable  preju- 
dice, based  upon  a  want  of  broad  appreciation  of  the 
significance  of  the  subject,  it  can  scarcely  be  said, 
as  in  the  statement  of  one  of  the  critics  of  my  books,1 
that  there  are  "  too  many  "  published  contributions 
to  the  question.  So  long  as  sex  education  is  not  in- 
cluded in  the  general  education  for  life,  there  can 
scarcely  be  an  undue  insistence  in  speech  and  written 
word  upon  the  necessity  for  this  teaching. 

The  combating  of  ignorance,  prejudice  arising 
from  false  modesty,  and  false  moral  estimates,  and 
the  vulgar  views  of  the  street,  is  a  work  requiring 
fortitude  and  hardihood.  Even  the  publication  of 
earnest  scientific  works  on  sexual  physiology  and 
psychology  is  still  beset  with  some  difficulty. 

The  pornographic  or  lascivious  view  of  sex  is 
one  of  the  factors  of  resistance  to  reverential  in- 
quiry. A  typical  devotee  of  the  lewd  in  literature 
and  art  is  most  frequently,  if  not  invariably,  an  op- 
ponent of  sane  sex  teaching.  At  the  best,  he  or 
she  is  indifferent  to  the  scientific  and  idealistic  as- 
pects. No  help  can  ever  be  expected  from  the 

1  The  Psychology  of  Marriage.    1918. 


i8  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

prurient  minds  of  either  sex.  The  man  who  col- 
lects books  described  as  erotica,  gloats  over  inde- 
cent photographs,  and  relates  unclean  jests  is  often 
quite  ready  to  join  with  the  most  ultraprudish  in 
the  denunciation  and  misrepresentation  of  the  sci- 
entific teaching  of  sex.  This  attitude  of  a  large 
number  of  adults  is  naturally  imitated  by  the  young 
who  come  under  their  influence.  As  a  result,  quite 
young  children  may  start  life  with  a  meretricious 
view  of  all  natural  sex  functions  and  processes,  and 
the  greatest  care  and  ingenuity  of  the  teacher  may 
be  almost  or  entirely  powerless  to  remove  the  blight 
from  the  mind. 

The  cultivation  of  the  respectful  attitude  in  the 
minds  of  the  young  is  often  rendered  difficult  by 
the  fact  th^;  the  soul  has  been  stained  by  vulgar  and 
lewd  suggestions.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the  par- 
ent who  thinks  that  ignorance  is  better  than  knowl- 
edge has  often  been  corrupted  in  his  youth.  And 
instead  of  realising  that  the  sure  armour  of  pure 
knowledge  would  have  protected  him,  he  forms  the 
fatal  judgment  that  a  profounder  ignorance  will 
prove  a  moral  safeguard  for  his  child. 

But  how  can  this  entire  blankness  of  thought  and 
imagination  be  guaranteed  in  the  ordinary  life  of  a 
child  or  youth  of  our  day?  Such  ignorance  is  im- 
possible. Even  without  external  iajwence,  the  stir- 
rings of  the  sex  emotion  are  botma  to  arise  in- 
ternally and  spontaneity  in  the  most  normal  of 
children.  FurtherHiedf^it  is  ascertained  that  a 
healthy  general  envelopment  of  the  mind  and  body 


DIFFICULTIES  19 

i"  usually  accompanied  by  a  vigorous  functioning 
of  sex.  As  a  medical  friend  remarked  to  me  years 
ago:  "If  I  imprisoned  my  little  boy  on  the  top 
of  a  high  tower  he  would  still  have  sexual  thoughts 
and  impulses  from  within  himself." 

The  hankering  for  the  improper  and  the  obscene 
is  a  manifestation  of  the  tremendous  misdirection 
of  the  repressive  methods.  It  is  becoming  more  and 
more  evident  that  children  reared  with  a  healthy 
knowledge  of  sex  matters  do  not  develop  a  taste 
for  conversational  improprieties  and  vulgarity.- 
The  effort  of  total  suppression  frequently,  if  not  in 
all  cases,  results  in  a  prurient  as  opposed  to  a  whole- 
some curiosity. 

The  etiology  of  the  indecent  story  or  joke  is  now 
beginning  to  be  understood.1  It  is  of  thejiatur^  of 
a  relief  or  explosion.  The  censored  or  taboo  topic 
undoubtedly  becomes  frequently  an  absorbing  secret 
subject  of  reflection.  Inevitably  man  yearns  for  the 
forbidden  fruit.  The  more  severe  the  proscriptions 
the  stronger  the  curiosity,  and  the  more  potent  the 
temptation  to  evade  them.  This  curiosity  is,  how- 
ever, modified  to  a  large  degree  by  a  familiarity  with 
the  scientific  facts  of  sexuality.  Thus  zve  cannot 
too  often  repeat  that  science  has  the  key  to  purity  of 
thought  and  behaviour. 

The  vicariouMjratification  of  sexual  desire  is  in- 
stanced in  the  cSe  of  the  inveterate  obscene  jester. 
Repression  of  thought  and  act  becomes  unendurable 

1  For  a  full  discussion  see  Wit  in  Relation  to  the  Uncon- 
scious, by  Prof.  Sigmund  Freud. 


20     A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

and  the  pent-up  feeling  seek?  a  vent.  Now,  as  the 
opportunities  for  sane  discussion  of  the  longings  are 
exceedingly  limited,  through  social  convention,  prud- 
ish prejudice  and  innate  dreads,  relief  is  sought  in 
the  common  and  tolerated  method  of  society  —  e.g. 
the  double-meaning  joke  of  a  sexual  character,  the 
indecent  "  limerick,"  the  reading  of  pornographic 
books,  and  the  very  common  habit  of  scribbling 
rhymes  and  indecencies  upon  walls.  These  prac- 
tices reveal  a  tremendous  ill-repressed  preoccupation 
with  the  obscene  in  minds  that  have  never  been  di- 
rected towards  a  clear  comprehension  of  the  high 
meaning  of  the  natural  instincts. 

I/ 
ii 

The  objections  to  enlightened  education  in  sex 
must  now  be  considered  with  cautious  impartiality. 
There  is  a  plea  that  this  knowledge  is  "  dangerous." 
But  no  one  has  pointed  out  specific  instances  of  im- 
moral conduct,  impropriety  of  speech  and  de- 
meanour, or  other  ill  results  of  the  scientific  teach- 
ing of  sex  hygiene  and  ethics.  The  risk  of  emo- 
tional excitation  and  the  arousing  of  erotic  desire 
prematurely  are  extremely  rare  contingencies.  That 
sexual  erethism  may  be  aroused  in  some  hyper- 
aesthetic  adults  by  even  inspecting  a  physiological 
diagram  is  true  in  a  very  few  cases.  I  have  been 
told  by  a  mature  woman  that  the  reading  of  a  work 
on  physiology,  in  which  the  organs  of  sex  were 
explained,  aroused  desires  that  had  been  partially 
dormant.  This,  however,  is  no  argument  against 


DIFFICULTIES  21 

the  acquisition  of  knowledge  for  the  mass  of  men 
and  women. 

In  the  above  instance  my  informant  had  led  a 
life  of  intense  repression  of  ordinary  intelligent  curi- 
osity. She  was,  on  her  own  admission,  often  se- 
cretly stirred  with  spontaneous,  powerful  yearnings, 
which  she  scarcely  understood.  In  very  early  child- 
hood she  contracted  a  common  habit,  through  the 
suggestion  of  a  female  servant,  and  her  eroticism 
had  developed  in  a  thoroughly  morbid  soil.  Her 
mother  had  silenced  all  her  youthful  questions  con- 
cerning the  mystery  of  birth,  the  relations  of  the 
sexes,  and  the  periodic  function  of  women.  She 
was  austerely  commanded  not  to  think  about  such 
things.  This  lady  married  at  a  rather  late  age  and 
has  shown  a  very  strong  resistance  to  normal  sexual 
relations  with  her  husband. 

This  example  may  be  accepted  as  a  warning  and 
as  a  common  typical  instance  of  the  need  for  sen- 
sible instruction  in  girlhood.  The  thrusting  down 
of  the  natural  conscious  wish  for  information,  the 
long  abnormal  absorption  with  mental  sexual  images 
and  the  prudish  reactions  had  induced  sex  hyper- 
aesthesia  in  a  strongly  amorous  subject.  Almost 
anything  that  can  be  said  to  possess  a  stimulating 
quality  would  be  likely  to  arouse  erotic  excitement 
in  such  a  mind.  These  stimuli  are  very  abundant 
for  the  normal  and  perfectly  healthy  person.  For 
the  abnormal  and  the  morbid  they  are  immensely 
more  numerous.  The  oversexed  person  lives  con- 
stantly exposed  to  incitements  and  mental  aphrodi- 


22  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

siacs.  Hence  sensation  may  be  stimulated  by  ob- 
jects, sounds,  odours  and  contacts  that  would  have 
no  influence  upon  the  normal  being. 

Suitable  enlightenment  in  childhood  would,  in  the 
great  majority  of  instances,  prevent  abnormal  or 
aberrant  sexual  development.  If  erotic  feeling  is 
aroused  by  the  spectacle  of  a  plan  of  the  human 
body,  or  by  a  sculptured  image  of  the  human  form, 
there  is  a  too  intense  susceptibility  to  stimuli.  This 
sexual  hyperaesthesia  is  often  the  consequence  of 
an  undue  repression,  as  exampled  by  some  of  the 
mediaeval  ascetics.  It  arises  also  from  the  suppres- 
sion of  natural  inquiry  in  the  manifestations  of  the 
sexual  life  and  the  scheme  of  reproduction.  If  sex 
is  regarded  from  the  earliest  years  as  intrinsically 
shameful,  or  associated  with  evil,  there  is  every 
chance  that  the  mental  attitude  to  even  the  most 
beautiful  and  elevating  emotions  may  become  dis- 
torted and  even  diseased. 

Opposition  to  sex  education  among  the  young  on 
the  ground  that  such  teaching  may  foster  premature 
desires  is  not  in  the  interest  of  morality.  We  can- 
not leave  the  mind  of  the  child  entirely  blank.  The 
influences  of  the  world,  even  in  childhood,  are  too 
numerous  and  constant.  A  father  assured  Pro- 
fessor Jung  that  his  little  daughter  was  absolutely 
"  innocent "  of  all  knowledge  of  sexual  matters. 
The  professor  discovered  that  the  child  had  an  in- 
veterate auto-erotic  habit.  A  very  large  number  of 
children  of  both  sexes  discover  sex  sensation  spon- 
taneously, and  often  long  before  puberty. 


DIFFICULTIES  23 

It  is  impossible  to  preserve  an  absolute  ignorance 
and  there  is  no  validity  in  the  protest  that  children 
should  not  receive  instruction.  Absolute  ignorance, 
even  in  quite  young  children,  and  in  the  most  refined 
environment,  is  scarcely  possible  in  modern  life,  and 
more  especially  in  the  case  of  the  young  brought  up 
in  towns.  Parents  who  fear  to  imperil  childish 
modesty  by  the  teaching  of  physiology  should  in- 
quire whether  this  risk  is  not  infinitely  greater  when 
the  acquisition  of  knowledge  is  left  wholly  to  chance. 
The  untaught  and  unprepared  child  is  usually  only 
too  easily  affected  by  the  first  flippant  or  vulgar 
companion  with  whom  he  or  she  associates.  More- 
over, as  I  have  pointed  out,  we  have  not  only  to  pro- 
tect the  child  from  evil  influences  of  an  external 
character,  but  we  need  to  explain  the  automatic  in- 
ternal arousing  of  the  new  desires  that  often  develop 
before  the  normal  age  of  puberty. 

The  preliminary  information  concerning  birth 
cannot  cause  immodesty,  if  imparted  judiciously  and 
reverentially.  On  the  contrary,  a  little  child  who 
has  been  taught  respect  for  the  fairy  magic  and 
solemn  mystery  of  human  reproduction  will  develop 
modestly,  and  will  feel  revulsion  when  the  subject 
is  mentioned  with  a  frivolous  disrespect  or  made 
a  topic  of  coarse  jesting.  A  sensibly  instructed  boy 
or  girl  will  regard  motherhood  as  something  too 
beautiful  for  ribaldry.  I  am  convinced  that  the 
emotional  and  aesthetic  aspects  of  sex  love  and  of  the 
reproductive  process  are  elevated  and  refined  in  the 
youthful  mind  educated  on  scientific  lines. 


24     A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 


in 

In  my  youth  it  was  said  by  many  parents  that 
"  there  are  things  a  child  should  not  know."  The 
tendency  now,  among  an  increasing  number  of 
earnest-minded  guardians  of  the  young,  is  to  inquire 
as  to  what  should  be  told,  and  how  the  knowledge 
should  be  conveyed  to  the  childish  intelligence.  The 
new  psychology  of  the  child  shows,  without  doubt, 
that  the  withholding  of  the  truth  injures  the  emo- 
tional and  intellectual  relationship  between  parents 
and  their  children.  One  well-meaning  lie  repeated 
by  the  father  or  mother  may  destroy  for  ever  the 
confidence  of  the  child.  A  severe  reproof  in  re- 
sponse to  a  childish  question  or  speculation  upon 
reproductive  enigmas,  acts  as  an  excitant  to  further 
curiosity  and  speculation.  Parents  are  wont  to  im- 
agine that  the  hushed  voice  or  the  admonition  to 
silence  checks  the  inquisitive  tendency.  No  doubt 
such  tactics  check  the  child  from  further  attempts 
to  learn  from  the  parent  or  teacher.  But  instead  of 
diminishing  the  curiosity,  the  evasive  answer  or  the 
palpable  untruth  stimulates  a  deeper  craving  for  en- 
lightenment. This  is  an  inevitable  consequence. 

Parents  must  ask  themselves  if  they  are  not  posi- 
tively culpable  when  they  refuse  sane  guidance  in 
sex  for  their  children.  It  is  a  mistaken  sentiment 
of  affection  that  prompts  the  mother  to  silence  aus- 
terely the  first  vague  questionings  of  her  son  or 
daughter.  True  love  for  a  child  is  exhibited  by  a 
solicitude  for  protection.  Ignorance  is  not  pro  tec- 


DIFFICULTIES  25 

tive.  It  is  a  fearful  menace.  The  sexual  life  is 
exposed  to  manifold  perils  from  childhood  to  the 
senile  stage.  For  many  it  is  a  stormy  sea,  beset  with 
reefs  and  shoals,  and  for  all  the  passage  is  opposed 
by  difficulties  in  steering  a  safe  course. 

Among  the  advocates  of  sex  knowledge  for  the 
young  are  some  who  doubt  whether  the  parent  is 
the  best  teacher,  except  in  the  tender  years  of  the 
child.  It  need  scarcely  be  insisted  that  the  mother, 
the  first  of  all  teachers,  should  be  the  natural  in- 
itiator of  young  children.  The  first  and  natural 
source  of  this  knowledge  seems  to  be  the  maternal. 
That  the  average  mother  is  rarely  well  equipped  in 
every  respect  for  this  important  task  is  one  of  the 
primary  defects  of  our  educational  methods. 

Conscientious  fathers  and  mothers  frequently  con- 
fess that  they  do  not  feel  fully  competent  to  teach 
their  own  children  the  rudiments  of  this  knowledge. 
In  the  case  of  adolescents,  whose  curiosity  naturally 
excels  that  of  the  young  child,  the  questions  are 
more  difficult  to  answer  with  requisite  candour.  A 
host  of  parents  declare  that  shyness  assails  them 
when  discussing  the  most  intimate  aspects  of  the 
sex  life  with  their  children.  This  shyness  fre- 
quently inhibits  parental  guidance.  It  is  an  actual 
problem  for  many  solicitous  parents. 

If  the  resistance  against  candour  is  strong  the 
parent  can  hardly  be  recognised  as  the  most  effective 
instructor  of  the  child  at  the  age  of  puberty.  This 
resistance  is  not  necessarily  prudish.  It  may  arise 
in  those  who  have  a  sincere  wish  that  their  children 


26     A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

shall  be  properly  instructed.  For  personal  and  inti- 
mate reasons  there  is  often  a  relative  reserve  in 
speech  upon  certain  phases  of  sex.  The  final,  but 
highly  pertinent,  question  of  the  child  is  concerning 
the  part  enacted  by  the  father  in  generation.  And 
it  is  precisely  this  query  that  is  disregarded  or 
shirked. 

IV 

A  teacher  of  an  elementary  school,  realising  the 
urgency  of  scientific  sex  teaching,  began  to  impart 
a  knowledge  of  physiology  to  her  pupils.  Unfor- 
tunately there  was  opposition  from  the  parents  of 
the  children,  and  the  humane  and  disinterested  ef- 
forts of  a  hard-worked  teacher  were  hindered  by 
an  ill-founded  hostility  to  physiology. 

As  one  of  the  advocates  of  scientific  sex  teaching 
points  out,  we  have  still  to  reckon  with  the  forces 
of  ignorance  and  coarse-mindedness.1  The  educa- 
tion of  parents  must  be  undertaken  in  very  many 
instances  before  we  can  begin  to  educate  the  chil- 
dren. Propaganda  by  means  of  lectures  and  litera- 
ture, designed  for  defectively  educated  parents, 
would  serve  a  good  purpose  in  preparing  the  way 
for  sex  guidance  in  the  home  and  the  school.  We 
must  recognise  that  very  many  fathers  and  mothers 
have  faith  in  the  efficacy  of  complete  silence,  or  of 
"  leaving  such  matters  to  nature."  They  must  be 
taught  that  the  method  of  concealment  is  disastrous, 
and  even  "  culpable,"  as  Metchnikoff  states;  and  that 
1  See  Sex  in  Relation  to  Society,  by  Havelock  Ellis. 


DIFFICULTIES  27 

abandoning  the  moral  direction  of  the  erotic  impulse 
to  "  nature "  is  hardly  practicable  at  the  present 
stage  of  human  evolution. 

The  instinct  of  animals  can  never  supply  adequate 
guidance  for  human  beings  in  the  control,  rightful 
use  and  sublimation  of  the  passion  of  love.  Sexual 
love  in  man  and  woman  cannot  be  compared  ra- 
tionally with  the  rutting  impulse  in  the  animals. 
Love  is  always  more  or  less  massive  and  pervasive 
in  the  consciousness  of  civilised  mankind,  and  is,  in 
fact,  the  very  mainspring  of  man's  energy  and  nu- 
merous mental  activities. 

A  complete  reform  of  the  intellectual  attitude 
towards  the  sex  question  must  precede  any  wide- 
spread understanding  of  the  need  for  tuition.  The 
gravity  of  the  problems  of  the  sex  life  from  infancy 
to  old  age  must  be  made  evident  to  those  who  look 
indifferently  upon  the  subject  of  sex  education.  An 
immense  responsibility  rests  upon  the  clergy  of  all 
denominations.  So  long  as  they  neglect  to  speak 
earnestly  in  recommendation  of  educational  guid- 
ance in  sex  development,  they  must  fail  in  the  ful- 
filment of  a  trust  as  moral  guides  and  reformers  in 
this  most  vital  of  all  human  affairs. 

Until  recent  years  the  only  training  of  the  young 
in  matters  of  sex  has  been  purely  religious.  For 
the  greater  part,  the  religious  exhortation  has  con- 
sisted of  severe  denunciation  of  fleshly  lusts,  forni- 
cation and  marital  infidelity.  This  negative  teach- 
ing needs  to  be  supplemented  by  positive  instruction. 
The  highest  moral  or  religious  idealism  is  compatible 


28     A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

with  the  deepest  scientific  apprehension.  I  am  im- 
pressed by  the  earnest  moral  and  spiritual  attitude 
to  questions  of  sex  shown  in  the  writings  of  the 
leading  sexual  psychologists  of  all  nationalities. 
These  eager  students  of  human  life  reveal  a  devo- 
tion for  humanity  which  is  often  quite  secondary 
in  the  volumes  of  theologically  orthodox  writers. 
"  Our  scientific  spirit  is  devout,"  said  Professor 
William  James.  The  ardent  quest  for  truth  is,  in 
the  widest  sense,  religious,  or  a  seeking  for  the 
good. 

The  necessity  for  the  moral-emotional  appeal  can- 
not be  urged  too  vigorously.  Sex  is  not  a  study  of 
dry  bones,  but  a  live  and  intensely  emotional  sub- 
ject. Spiritualised  love  is  a  matter  of  faith,  deep 
feeling,  refined  sentiment,  idealism,  poetry,  aesthetics 
and  romance.  The  scientific  analysis  of  the  deepest 
emotion  of  the  heart  —  e.g.  love  —  inspires  wonder 
and  reverence,  and  combats  materialistic  conceptions 
and  vulgar  disesteem  for  sex.  This  knowledge,  by 
enlarging  our  view  of  human  nature,  brings  under- 
standing and  sympathy.  It  assists  in  forming  true 
moral  judgments.  It  explains  some  of  the  pro- 
foundest  mysteries  of  human  behaviour.  The  quest 
of  truth  by  the  aid  of  science  may  necessitate  a 
stripping  of  the  disguises  that  hide  the  real  man  or 
woman,  and  this  process  may  sometimes  reveal  the 
ugly  and  the  repellant.  But  in  baring  the  soul  how 
often  may  we  find  beauty,  nobility  and  virtue  as  a 
contrast  to  the  evil  or  morbid  characteristic. 

No  earnest  student  can  afford  to  shirk  the  realities 


DIFFICULTIES  29 

of  life  if  he  would  learn  the  highest  and  the  lowest 
that  is  possible  to  humanity.  There  must  be  un- 
flinching vision  on  the  part  of  those  who  would 
teach.  And  this  may  require  a  knowledge  of  the 
darker  side  of  the  sexual  problem.  But  the  brighter 
side,  as  one  investigator  insists,1  is  the  side  that 
should  be  vividly  presented  to  the  mind  of  youth. 
The  splendour  and  the  beauty  of  the  love  of  the 
sexes  must  be  revealed  to  the  young  through  the 
intelligence  and  the  emotion. 

To  minds  unassailed  by  prudery  or  salacity  the 
sexual  passion  conveys  most  that  is  finely  spiritual, 
inspiring  and  sacred  in  life.  With  the  child  one 
cannot  begin  too  early  the  duty  of  imparting  respect 
for  the  body  and  its  marvellous  mechanism,  as  a 
preparation  for  later  instruction  in  nature's  racial 
purpose  and  the  meaning  of  sex  love  in  the  mighty 
scheme  of  living  creatures,  with  Man  as  the  highest 
manifestation  of  brain  development. 

1 W.  F.  Robie,  M.D.,  Rational  Sex  Ethics, 


CHAPTER  III 

A    HISTORICAL   SURVEY 


THE  primitive  form  of  sex  education  of  the  young 
will  be  found  in  the  initiation  rites  of  puberty  prac- 
tised among  ancient  and  modern  barbaric  and  semi- 
civilised  peoples.  These  practices  have  been,  and 
are  still,  very  widespread  throughout  the  world. 
The  savage  mind,  probably  universally,  fears  the 
sexual  instinct  and  looks  upon  the  union  of  the  sexes 
as  dangerous.  Anthropology  and  folk-lore  abound 
with  instances  of  this  dread,  and  numerous  travellers 
and  explorers  have  described  the  curious  ceremonials 
connected  with  the  attainment  of  the  pubescent  age 
in  both  sexes.  The  initiation  customs  are  a  training 
for  manhood  and  womanhood.  They  stimulate 
physical  courage  and  endurance,  and  inspire  the 
mind  with  awe  for  the  mighty  reproductive  force. 
This  education  is  usually  undertaken  by  the  older 
members  of  the  tribe,  who  seclude  the  young  dis- 
ciples in  remote  parts  of  the  country,  often  for  weeks 
or  months. 

Most  of  this  primitive  teaching  involves  submis- 
sion to  painful  ordeals  as  a  part  of  the  discipline  of 
the  future  life.  The  training  of  the  boy  or  girl  is 

30 


A  HISTORICAL  SURVEY  31 

laborious  and  ascetic.  In  some  tribes  of  Australia 
circumcision  is  practised  on  the  males  and  an  opera- 
tion is  performed  on  the  female  generative  organs. 
These  operations  must  be  suffered  without  an  ex- 
pression of  pain  or  the  pupil  is  disgraced.  Similar 
inculcation  of  fortitude  and  restraint  characterises 
the  initiatory  pubertal  ceremonies  of  some  African 
races.  The  Indians  of  California  sequestrate  girls 
of  the  age  of  puberty  in  a  pit,  attended  by  aged 
women,  who  by  symbolic  means  explain  the  process 
of  reproduction.  At  the  end  of  four  days  of  in- 
struction the  girls  are  decorated,  and  corn  is  thrown 
over  them. 

Wherever  we  search  among  savage  tribes  we  shall 
find  that  instruction  in  the  duties  of  marriage  and 
parentage  are  considered  highly  essential  for  the  wel- 
fare of  the  individual  and  the  community.  As  most 
primitive  people  marry  soon  after  attaining  puberty, 
early  enlightenment  is  necessary.  It  is  a  strange 
fact  that  the  uncultured  mind  discerned  ages  ago 
that  a  preparation  for  conjugality  is  an  imperative 
matter,  whereas  the  cultured  minds  of  to-day  often 
assume  that  such  education  is  unessential.  No  one 
except  Stephen  Paget  has,  I  believe,  made  a  practical 
proposal  of  ceremonial  at  the  arrival  of  the  adoles- 
cent period.1  But  a  modified  form  of  the  primitive 
rituals,  adapted  to  the  present  age,  might  be  made 
highly  impressive  to  the  young.  Such  a  rite  could 
be  surrounded  with  appropriate  solemnity,  and  em- 
ployed as  a  kind  of  confirmation  of  a  reverential  atti- 
1  See  Adolescence. 


32  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

tude  towards  manhood  and  womanhood  and  their 
racial  responsibilities.  On  the  other  hand,  some 
teachers  are  of  the  opinion  that  all  teaching  should 
be  unobtrusive  and  not  definite  or  specialised. 

It  must  not  be  inferred  that  savages  are  lacking  in 
modesty.  On  the  contrary,  the  primitive  sense  of 
sexual  delicacy  is  very  frequently  acute.  And,  from 
the  evidence  of  anthropology,  it  is  well  established 
that  barbaric  people  associate  reproduction  with  the 
holy.  The  sex  initiation  of  the  young  among  prim- 
itive folk  is  undoubtedly  associated  with  religious  be- 
lief and  social  ethics.  These  rites  are  of  an  ex- 
tremely solemn  character. 

The  ancient  Oriental  races  were  especially  defer- 
ential towards  the  sexual  impulse.  In  the  old  theol- 
ogies of  India  full  regard  is  given  to  questions  of 
marriage,  conjugal  hygiene  and  the  art  of  love.  The 
chief  religious  symbols  denote  generative  power. 
Phallic  worship,  which  was  one  of  the  most  ancient 
of  all  religions,  was  a  cult  in  honour  of  reproduction 
and  fertility,  and  its  signs  still  survive  in  all  parts 
of  the  world.  In  India  phallicism  is  traceable  in 
many  rituals  and  pious  observances,  and  its  symbolic 
images  are  preserved  as  sacred. 

Vishnu,  Manu,  and  Vatsyayana  give  counsels  for 
the  regulation  of  the  sexual  life  and  conjugal  con- 
duct. The  Kama  Sutra  is  a  grave  erotic  manual 
for  the  use  of  the  devout,  though  its  sex  morality  is 
not  always  that  of  the  Western  nations.  To  Kama 
was  given  the  charge  of  mortal  love  by  the  Creator. 

Hindu  womanhood  is  divinely  represented  by  the 


A  HISTORICAL  SURVEY  33 

goddess  Uma  and  the  female  deity  of  a  vast  num- 
ber of  Indian  people  is  Shakti  or  Sakti.  Manu  as- 
serts that  "  the  mother  exceedeth  a  thousand  fathers 
in  the  right  to  reverence,  and  in  the  function  of 
teacher/'  Woman  in  her  noblest  guise  is  personified 
in  Sakti,  which  word  signifies  power  and  energy. 
There  is  no  shame  for  the  procreative  office  in  the 
Hindu  religion.  Sir  William  Jones  states  that  the 
cultured  Hindu  cannot  understand  how  that  which 
is  natural  can  be  offensively  obscene,  and  that  the 
frankness  of  the  classic  works  is  no  proof  of  de- 
praved morals.  The  most  rigorous  restraints  upon 
desire  "are  as  much  a  part  of  the  creed  of  devout 
Hindus  as  the  rightful  gratifications.  This  honest 
acceptation  of  the  vital  impulse  of  love  has  no  doubt 
a  share  among  the  factors  which,  according  to  Mrs. 
F.  A.  Steel,  makes  the  morality  of  India  "  far 
higher  "  than  that  of  England.  A  native  writer  on 
Hindu  Love  has  said  that  the  sacredness  of  the  re- 
lation of  husband  and  wife  in  India  "  is  invested 
with  a  heavenly  grandeur  which  passes  all  descrip- 
tion." 

In  Burma  the  passing  of  girls  from  childhood  to 
early  womanhood  is  a  festival.  The  girl  is  attired 
in  her  finest  robe,  earrings  are  placed  in  her  ears  as 
a  mark  of  the  age  of  marriage,  and  guests  offer  con- 
gratulations. The  Burmese  boy  is  impressed  with 
the  importance  of  attaining  puberty  by  a  ritual  of 
tattooing  the  legs.  Married  happiness  is  the  rule 
in  Burma,  and  sex  equality  is  established.  There  is 
reason  for  believing  that  the  esteem  for  love  and  the 


34  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

absence  of  all  prudish  reactions  against  questions  of 
sex  are  among  the  chief  factors  of  the  morality  and 
social  well-being  of  the  Burmese  people. 

The  ancient  Hebrews,  under  the  rule  of  Moses, 
observed  a  very  strict  sexual  hygiene,  and  the  code 
contains  explicit  directions,  which  are  of  the  nature 
of  education  in  the  vita  sexualis.  In  the  faith  of 
Islam  the  sex  relationship  is  controlled  by  severe 
regulations,  and  Mahomet  framed  precise  rules  for 
conjugal  behaviour  and  pre-marital  continence. 

ii 

The  Catholic  Church  has  always  recognised  the 
importance  of  the  Sex  Question.  The  theological 
contributions  to  this  subject  are  very  numerous,  and 
many  of  them  are  written  with  the  utmost  candour. 
In  receiving  confessions  the  priest  is  bound  to  en- 
counter irregularities  of  the  sexual  life  committed 
by  penitents,  and  it  is  apparent  that  the  clergy  were, 
at  an  early  age  in  the  history  of  Catholicism, 
equipped  with  a  knowledge  of  the  sex  instinct  in  most 
of  its  manifestations  and  aberrations. 

This  is  proved  conclusively  by  the  existence  of  a 
great  classic  library  of  volumes  and  treatises  upon 
the  main  phases  of  sexuality.  Upon  authoritative 
scientific  judgment,  the  Roman  Catholic  Church 
"  has  always  displayed  greater  openness  and  less 
hypocrisy  than,  for  example,  the  Protestant 
pietists."  l  There  are,  however,  exceptions  to  the 

1  Iwan  Bloch,  M.D.   (The  Sexual  Life  of  our  Time},  enu- 
merates various  accredited  writings  of  the  fathers  and  clerics 


A  HISTORICAL  SURVEY  35 

reticent  attitude  of  Protestant  teachers,  notably  that 
of  Martin  Luther,  who  openly  discussed  matters  of 
sexual  conduct. 

Catholic  divines  and  savants  have  undoubtedly 
provided  an  extensive  literature  treating  upon  prob- 
lems of  sex.  There  are  very  few  of  the  abnormali- 
ties and  perversions  known  to  psychopathologists 
which  are  not  discussed  in  the  works  of  Catholic 
authors.  The  Golden  Key  of  Antonio  Claret,  Arch- 
bishop of  Caba,  and  Matrimony,  a  standard  volume 
by  T.  Sanchez,  are  representative  works.  These 
writings  are  to  be  classed,  for  the  greater  number, 
as  efforts  towards  the  enlightenment  of  mankind  in 
the  nature,  force  and  widespread  influence  of  the 
emotion  of  sex  love. 

If  Catholicism  imperilled  the  sane  mental,  emo- 
tional and  ethical  attitude  to  love  and  the  intercourse 
of  the  sexes  by  extolling  the  celibate  life,  casting  sus- 
picion on  marriage  and  aspersing  woman  as  a  source 
of  corruption  and  danger,  it  cannot  be  denied  that, 
on  the  other  hand,  many  of  the  great  teachers  of  the 
Church  refused  to  darken  the  sex  question.  There 
was  a  perfectly  clear  recognition  of  the  enormous 
influence  of  the  erotic  energy  in  human  life,  and  a 
fervid  endeavour  to  cope  with  the  evils  and  morbidi- 
ties arising  from  this  force.  Moreover,  the  ethical 
and  hygienic  counsels  for  the  celibate  and  the  wedded 
were  frequently  sound  and  practical.  We  must 

of  the  Church.  Among  these  are  Augustine,  Bouvier,  Capell- 
mann,  Dens,  Gury,  Liguori,  Molinos,  Pereira,  Rousselot, 
Sanchez,  Soto,  Suarez,  Aquinas,  Wigandt  and  Zeuardi. 


36  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

therefore  set  this  humanitarian  ardour  against  the 
fanatical  injunctions  of  complete  asceticism,  which, 
as  sacerdotal  records  prove,  usually  defeated  the 
ends  of  morality  and  purity.  At  all  events,  the 
Catholic  Church  sanctioned  and  encouraged  enlight- 
enment in  this  department  of  knowledge. 

Martin  Luther  plainly  perceived  the  importance  of 
direction  in  sexual  conduct,  and  his  vehement  an- 
tipathy to  the  teaching  of  celibacy  inspired  him  with 
zeal  in  attacking  the  ascetic  doctrine  of  the  Catholic 
creed.  That  Luther  was  a  man  of  powerful  vitality 
and  strong  passions  is  evident  from  his  own  writ- 
ings. "  He  to  whom  the  gift  of  continence  is  not 
given,"  he  writes,  "  will  not  become  chaste  by  fast- 
ing and  vigils."  The  Protestant  reformer's  hetero- 
doxy in  conjugal  ethics  is  evinced  in  his  suggestion 
that  women  united  to  impotent  husbands  should  be 
permitted  to  take  another  partner,  in  cases  where 
there  was  no  desire  for  divorce.  He  emphasised 
the  fact  that  virility  will  always  seek  natural  gratifi- 
cation, and  recognised  it  as  the  chief  sign  of  man- 
hood. 

Nevertheless,  Luther  was  not  free  from  the  ascrip- 
tion of  some  of  the  eminent  Fathers  to  sin  as  the 
source  of  the  sex  instinct.  He  was  inclined  to  think 
that  it  would  be  better  for  humanity  if  all  men  were 
moulded  from  earth.  It  is  obvious  that  any  asso- 
ciation of  the  love  impulse  with  "  original  sin  "  is 
prejudicial  to  sound  teaching  in  sexual  matters. 
Notwithstanding,  we  must  accord  to  Luther  respect 
for  his  outspokenness  upon  the  marital  relation  and 


A  HISTORICAL  SURVEY  37 

his  courage  in  combating  prejudices  that  he  had  out- 
grown. 

Swedenborg  may  be  taken  as  an  example  of  a  sec- 
tarian leader  who  recognised  the  need  for  sex  en- 
lightenment. To  his  followers  he  addressed  a  pon- 
derous volume  upon  Conjugal  Love  characterised 
by  much  common-sense  in  portions,  but  containing 
statements  that  will  not  stand  scientific  analysis. 

in 

For  centuries  throughout  Christendom  there  was 
no  effort  to  diffuse  education  in  sexual  physiology 
and  hygiene  among  the  mass  of  the  people.  After 
the  Reformation,  and  especially  in  the  days  of  Puri- 
tanism, there  were  many  published  exhortations  to 
chastity  and  violent  denunciations  of  sensuality,  sex- 
ual irregularity  and  adultery.  The  Mosaic  Code 
was  revised  in  all  its  austerity.  Sex  became  a  for- 
bidden topic.  In  England  and  Scotland  innocent 
love  was  commonly  regarded  as  a  species  of  wanton- 
ness. Scottish  theological  writers  of  the  seven- 
teenth and  eighteenth  centuries  vie  with  one  another 
in  solemn  warnings  against  the  lure  of  the  erotic 
impulse.  Fanaticism  went  to  the  length  of  forbid- 
ding music  at  weddings  and  denouncing  parents  who 
kissed  their  children  on  the  Sabbath.  Under  this 
harsh  and  unnatural  system  of  repression  every  kind 
of  sex  vice  and  perversion  flourished. 

For  a  long  period  the  only  attempt  at  guidance 
in  a  virtuous  and  healthy  sex  life  was  a  practical 
condemnation  of  the  instinct  that  attracts  and  unites 


38  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

the  sexes  and  continues  the  race.  Bad  sanitation 
and  personal  uncleanness  accompanied  a  diseased 
mental  view  of  the  relations  of  the  sexes.  Love 
brought  joy  and  pleasure;  therefore  to  the  mis- 
guided zealot  of  perpetual  abnegation  of  all  enjoy- 
ment love  was  a  danger  and  a  source  of  sin.  A 
poisonous  prudery  was  the  companion  of  gross  lust 
and  furtive  vice. 

Syphilis  began  to  ravage  Europe  with  its  deadly 
poison.  The  brothels  were  numerous  in  the  cities 
of  Europe.  Attempts  at  repression  brought  a  re- 
action of  libertinism,  and  the  first  efforts  of  legal 
regulation  of  prostitution  were  instituted  in  Eng- 
land. The  spread  of  venereal  diseases  began  to 
foster  physical  degeneration  in  the  race. 

There  is  no  discoverable  trace  of  any  endeavour 
to  combat  the  licence,  vice  and  diseases  of  those  days 
by  means  of  sexual  education.  The  grosser  kinds 
of  indecent  literature  were  in  circulation,  but  no 
scientific  volumes  were  issued.  Physiology  was  neg- 
lected and  the  knowledge  of  medical  men  was  very 
limited.  The  preachers  denounced  immorality. 
But  no  one  showed  the  way  to  a  rational,  moral  and 
healthy  sexual  life. 

IV 

A  volume  which  may  be  classed  among  the  works 
essaying  to  control  sex  conduct  was  published  in 
Latin  in  1760,  and  afterwards  translated  into  most 
European  languages.  It  was  the  composition  of  a 
Swiss  doctor  named  Tissot.  I  refer  to  this  treatise 


A  HISTORICAL  SURVEY  39 

because  it  was  highly  esteemed  and  widely  distrib- 
uted at  a  time  when  such  writings  had  become  scarce. 
This  book  was  the  celebrated  Treatise  on  Onanism: 
A  Dissertation  upon  the  Maladies  produced  by  Mas- 
turbation. 

The  work  of  Tissot  is  of  historical  interest,  inas- 
much as  it  deeply  influenced  contemporary  medical 
minds  and  gave  birth  to  strong  traditional  opinions 
that  survive  to  this  day.  Tissot,  in  the  role  of  a 
reformer  of  sex  morals  and  an  enlightener  of  youth, 
was  unwittingly  the  benefactor  of  countless  quacks 
throughout  the  civilised  nations.  The  consideration 
of  the  difficult  but  profoundly  important  question  of 
auto-erotism  (masturbation,  onanism,  self-abuse)  is 
one  of  the  primary  necessities  of  the  parent  and 
teacher  who  would  lead  the  young  rightly.  But  the 
teachers  must  gain  their  instruction  from  the  high- 
est sources  of  modern  research. 

Tissot  was  the  pioneer  of  the  immense  host  of 
"  scare  writers,"  both  well-intentioned  and  un- 
scrupulous, who  have  played  a  great  part  in  shaping 
the  thought  of  youth  in  questions  of  sex.  He  raised 
"  a  colossal  bogy,"  *  which  other  physicians  of  larger 
knowledge  and  experience  have  dethroned.  Iwan 
Bloch  accepts  Tissot  as  "  the  true  founder  of  the 
scientific  literature  "  on  this  theme,  but  entirely  dis- 
agrees with  his  flagrant  exaggerations  and  uncom- 
promising pessimism.  There  is  no  doubt  that  this 
Swiss  physician  and  his  huge  army  of  followers, 

1  See  vol.  i.,  Studies  in  the  Psychology  of  Sex.    Havelock 
Ellis. 


40  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

consisting  of  some  medical  and  numerous  lay  writ- 
ers and  preachers,  have  caused  very  many  cases  of 
sexual  neurasthenia,  hypochondriasis,  mental  depres- 
sion, anxiety  —  neurosis  and  even  suicide. 

Undoubtedly  some  of  the  apparently  inexplicable 
suicides  of  children  and  adolescents  are  the  result 
of  the  terror,  remorse  and  despair  induced  by  read- 
ing alarming  descriptions  of  a  whole  host  of  major 
and  minor  maladies  attributed  to  masturbatory  hab- 
its. 

Tissot's  almost  epoch-making  treatise  was  suc- 
ceeded by  other  writings  of  a  similar  type,  in  which 
all  the  ills  and  the  diseases  of  mankind  were  traced 
to  auto-erotism.  Lallemand,  in  1836,  wrote  a  med- 
ical work  on  this  topic  which  repeated  some  of  the 
errors  of  his  predecessor.  Since  then  the  majority 
of  the  authors  appealing  to  a  large  public  have  un- 
reservedly accepted  Tissot  and  Lallemand  and  their 
school  as  models.  Often  these  writers  have  fright- 
ened their  readers  with  their  well-meaning  moral 
enthusiasm.  Unfortunately  the  terroristic  method 
has  been  proved  by  the  experience  of  balanced  sci- 
entific minds  and  thoughtful  moralists  not  only  in- 
effectual but  a  stimulus  to  excesses.  The  psychic 
injury  inflicted  by  this  means  is  incalculable.  Vic- 
tims who  have  been  told  that  they  will  become  luna- 
tics have  actually  lost  their  reason  through  dread 
alone.  Dr.  Savage  and  other  authorities  mention 
suicide  as  a  result. 

The  historical  survey  of  sex  education  shows 
enormous  gaps  in  the  issue  of  writings  designed  as 


A  HISTORICAL  SURVEY  41 

offering  guidance  to  adults.  And  it  is  only  within 
the  past  fifty  years  that  a  demand  has  arisen  for  the 
enlightenment  of  children  and  adolescents. 

The  movement  must  be  regarded  as  in  its  infancy 
in  England.  In  America  and  Canada  there  has 
been  considerable  advance  during  the  past  twenty- 
five  years. 

Bosnia,  among  European  nations,  has  lately  set 
an  admirable  example  to  the  civilised  world  by  the 
inception  of  State  instruction  in  sexual  questions. 
The  reform  was  initiated  as  a  check  upon  the  tre- 
mendous spread  of  venereal  diseases.  In  a  short 
time  the  results  have  proved  almost  marvellous. 
The  reduction  in  the  cases  of  disease  are  most  sig- 
nificant. 


CHAPTER  IV 

MODERN    DEVELOPMENTS 


DURING  a  long  period  in  England  and  America  a 
voice  was  heard  now  and  again  in  the  wilderness. 
James  Hinton,  a  cultured  physician,  wrote  earnestly 
upon  sexual  ethics  and  hygiene  in  the  Mid-Victorian 
period ;  but  his  works  are  rarely  read,  except  perhaps 
the  well-known  Mystery  of  Pain.  Hinton  asserted 
that  "  science  has  in  its  hands  the  key  to  purity,"  a 
statement  that  is  now  coming  within  the  probability 
of  acceptance  by  all  honest  minds.  Havelock  Ellis 
frequently  quotes  Hinton  with  admiration.  He 
states  that  one  of  this  author's  contributions  to  the 
discussion  of  sex  is  still  in  manuscript. 

J.  Milner  Fothergill,  about  thirty  years  ago, 
strongly  advocated  sex  teaching  in  his  volume  on 
Adolescence.  The  exclusion  of  any  reference  to 
the  reproductive  system  in  Professor  Huxley's 
Physiology  showrs  that  in  his  view  the  time  was  not 
yet  for  enlightening  the  young  in  matters  of  sex. 
Twenty  years  ago  there  was  scarcely  any  available 
volume  sufficiently  plain  for  the  comprehension  of 
an  average  young  man  or  woman  who  wished  to 
understand  human  reproduction.  There  were  med- 

42 


MODERN  DEVELOPMENTS  43 

ical  manuals  and  ponderous  technical  works  in  abun- 
dance, but  nothing  of  the  character  which  many  con- 
scientious parents  sought  in  vain  for  helpful  infor- 
mation for  their  children.  Such  information  was 
very  scarce. 

The  description  sexual  psychology  was  probably 
never  used  fifty  years  ago.  In  recent  years  Pro- 
fessor Karl  Pearson,  in  one  of  his  essays,  has  re- 
ferred to  the  importance  of  the  study  of  "  sexual- 
ogy  "  as  a  very  important  part  of  sociology.  The 
leading  pioneer  of  this  new  branch  of  scientific  re- 
search in  England  is  undoubtedly  Havelock  Ellis, 
who  has  made  the  study  the  chief  part  of  his  life's 
labour.  To  him  we  owe  great  advance  in  our 
knowledge.  With  painstaking  industry  and  scien- 
tific thoroughness  Ellis  has  collected  a  vast  mass  of 
highly  useful  data  for  social  reformers,  legislators, 
physicians  and  teachers. 

In  my  early  manhood  I  attended  a  lecture  in  a 
provincial  town  hall  given  by  a  then  popular  trav- 
elling evangelist.  This  preacher  was  supported  by 
some  of  the  leading  ministers  of  the  town,  and  the 
hall  was  filled  with  a  large  audience  of  "  men  only." 
The  method  of  this  missionary  cannot  be  com- 
mended. His  plea  for  purity  was  marred  by  an 
ignorance  in  physiological  statement,  and  his  illus- 
trations, designed  to  terrify  evil-doers,  were  extrava- 
gant and  so  alarming  that  one  of  his  hearers  was 
carried  out  in  a  fainting  fit.  I  cannot  believe  that 
there  is  any  true  inspiration  to  virtue  in  a  vehement 
denunciatory  address  lasting  for  over  an  hour.  No 


44  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

helpful  practical  counsel  was  offered  to  the  young 
men  present. 

ii 

In  the  United  States  there  are  several  influential 
propaganda  associations,  notably  the  American  So- 
ciety of  Sanitary  and  Moral  Prophylaxis,  which  is 
largely  the  result  of  a  vigorous  advocacy  undertaken 
by  Dr.  Prince  Morrow,  a  high-minded  reformer  and 
scientific  investigator.  The  Chicago  Society  of  So- 
cial Hygiene  dates  from  1906.  The  Vice-Commis- 
sion of  that  city,  in  1910,  published  an  earnest 
appeal  for  the  enlightenment  of  the  young  in  their 
Report  of  399  pages. 

There  has  been  considerable  private  and  individ- 
ual effort  towards  education  in  this  urgent  matter. 
Dr.  Helen  C.  Putnam  has  made  practical  proposals.1 
President  G.  Stanley  Hall,  of  Clark  University,  is 
a  whole-hearted  pleader  for  sex  knowledge,  and  has 
contributed  much  valuable  literary  material  to  the 
subject.  In  the  various  schools  and  colleges  with 
which  President  Hall  has  been  connected  he  has  felt 
it  his  duty  to  speak  plainly  to  young  men  students. 
Literary  instruction  in  America  is  represented  by  a 
long  list  of  books  and  pamphlets. 

In  Canada  the  Government  provides  suitable  sex 
teaching  in  all  the  State  schools  in  Ontario.  Boys 
and  girls  after  the  age  of  ten  receive  enlightenment 
in  physiology  and  are  taught  respect  for  the  sexual 

1  See  "  Biologists  in  Public  Schools  "  in  New  York  Journal 
of  Med.,  Nov.,  1906. 


MODERN  DEVELOPMENTS  45 

function.  Sir  Thomas  Barlow,  the  well-known 
English  physician,  has  approved  of  the  system  of 
instruction  in  the  western  states  of  Canada,  and  says 
that  it  "  has  been  done  without  any  offence  what- 
ever."1 

Ellis  writes  that  in  the  Italian  Normal  Schools 
the  subjects  of  sex  and  reproduction  are  looked  upon 
as  a  necessary  educative  process.  Michels  refers 
to  the  advance  in  this  form  of  education  in  Italy,2 
and  gives  an  account  of  a  representative  conference 
of  men  of  science,  and  clerics  and  pedagogues  con- 
vened for  the  discussion  of  the  Sex  Question. 

In  France,  where  education  is  not  mainly  a  means 
of  becoming  a  successful  money-maker,  proportion- 
ate regard  is  paid  to  the  spiritual  things  of  life  in 
the  school  curriculum.  The  moral  influence  in  the 
French  schools  has  been  described  with  fervent  ap- 
preciation by  G,  Stanley  Hall.  Due  attention  is 
being  directed  to  sex  education  in  France,  and  much 
credit  is  to  be  accorded  to  the  earnestly  scientific 
humanist  and  physician  Pinard  for  his  eloquent  ap- 
peal for  this  amelioration  of  the  educational  code. 

In  Bohemia  Dr.  Stanislav  Ruyicka  has  given  lec- 
tures on  sex  physiology  and  hygiene  to  school  chil- 
dren up  to  the  age  of  fourteen.  The  teachers  in  the 
large  towns  generally  approve  of  this  means  of  pub- 
lic education.  German  reforms  in  sex  education 
have  progressed  considerably  in  the  past  twenty-five 

1  See  Report  of  Royal  Commission  on  Venereal  Diseases, 
1913-1914- 

2  Sexual  Ethics. 


46  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

years,  and  the  same  advance  has  been  made  in  Aus- 
tria. 

Dr.  Eduard  Ceresole,  Lausanne,  Switzerland,  is  of 
the  opinion  that  "  It  is  more  necessary  to  the  child's 
moral  and  physical  welfare  that  he  should  be  in- 
structed on  sexual  questions  than  to  be  taught  any 
other  of  the  actual  school  curriculum.  .  .  .  To  the 
people  who  taboo  all  sexual  subjects  as  immoral  I 
will  answer  that  a  scientific  fact  or  truth  is  never  im- 
moral, but  that  the  hypocrisy  and  concealment  now 
prevailing  with  regard  to  such  matters  are  decidedly 
so." 


PART  II 
SCIENTIFIC  TEACHING 


CHAPTER  I 

PREPARATION    FOR   TEACHING 


THE  qualifications  of  the  instructors  in  sex  educa- 
tion require  cautious  consideration.  Resistance  to 
inquiry  in  this  branch  of  knowledge  is  so  strongly 
developed  in  some  men  and  women  that  it  consti- 
tutes a  positive  disqualification.  Unless  the  teacher 
can  feel  zealous  for  his  subject,  and  take  a  sincere 
and  scientific  interest  in  it,  he  is  not  fitted  for  this 
important  task.  Before  we  can  institute  this  much- 
needed  reform  in  pedagogics,  we  must  convince  a 
far  larger  number  of  teachers  of  both  sexes  than 
exists  at  present  of  the  great  necessity  for  the  re- 
form. There  are  still  not  wholly  unintelligent  per- 
sons who  believe  that  a  shirking  of  this  matter  makes 
for  morality.  They  fear  sex  knowledge  in  any  form 
as  a  menace  to  the  natural  modesty  of  youth. 

Any  prejudice  or  repressed  sex  complex  debars 
from  the  work  of  instruction.  There  must  be  the 
conviction  that  sex  is  inherently  a  clean  topic,  and 
the  ability  to  distinguish  between  mere  idle  curiosity 
or  the  prurient  habit  of  mind  and  a  genuine  bias 
for  knowledge  in  the  service  of  the  higher  needs 
of  humanity.  The  teacher  requires  a  spiritual  per- 

49 


50  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

ception  of  the  massive  power  of  love  as  well  as  an 
appreciation  for  the  scientific  method.  He  or  she 
should  be  something  of  the  artist  or  poet  in  addi- 
tion to  a  physiologist  and  psychologist.  If  the 
trainer  of  the  young  in  the  rules  of  a  healthy  and 
moral  sex  life  cannot  make  the  requisite  emotional 
appeal  to  young  people,  he  or  she  can  never  become 
an  ideal  preceptor.  For  although  the  teaching  must 
in  some  cases  be  entirely  dispassionate  and  objective, 
there  are  occasions  when  personal  sympathy,  arising 
from  insight  and  a  knowledge  of  the  human  heart, 
is  very  essential. 

It  is  obvious,  therefore,  that  efficiency  in  instruct- 
ing the  young  depends  principally  upon  the  teach- 
er's zeal  for  the  subject.  Without  enthusiasm  and 
earnestness  the  instructor  will  fail  to  impress  the 
pupils  with  the  high  importance  of  the  study,  or  to 
assure  their  interest,  apperception  and  attention. 
At  present  there  are  not  many  educationists  fully 
equipped  with  the  essential  ardour,  psychological 
understanding  of  the  juvenile  mind,  and  knowledge 
of  embryology  and  physiology.  There  are  no  pro- 
fessors of  sex  psychology  in  the  universities,  and 
the  teacher  must  prepare  himself  or  herself  by  pri- 
vate study  and  research. 

As  a  preliminary  it  would  be  well  if  the  instructor 
placed  himself  in  the  hands  of  an  expert  psycho- 
analyst. In  all  of  us  there  exist  opposing  psychic 
elements,  an  accumulation  of  the  detritus  of  barbaric 
ages,  a  resistance  to  the  subject  and  a  sense  of  tim- 
idity in  approaching  it.  This  fear  is  one  of  the 


PREPARATION  FOR  TEACHING       51 

strongest  proofs  that  the  topic  is  of  unusual  impor- 
tance. If  the  first  impression  tells  us  that  a  sub- 
ject is  unnecessary  or  dangerous,  we  should  ask 
ourselves  why  we  have  this  opinion.  Reason  and 
reflection  may  inform  us  that  there  can  be  no  prog- 
ress in  man's  moral  and  mental  development  if  in- 
vestigations are  shirked  on  the  plea  that  they  are 
unpleasant,  irksome  or  attended  with  certain  risks. 
Is  it  not  true  that  it  is  frequently  those  matters  that 
arouse  resistance  in  the  mind  which  are  of  the  very 
deepest  moment  ? 

Psychoanalysis  explains  the  origin  and  the  mean- 
ing of  the  inner  censor  who  whispers  that  we  had 
better  avoid  this  or  that  inquiry.  It  reveals  the 
dominance  of  the  subconscious,  enlightens  us  con- 
cerning our  deep-seated  prejudices,  dreads  and  in- 
tellectual cowardice,  and  clears  and  invigorates  the 
conscious  mind.  The  new  researches  in  psychology 
have  let  in  a  stream  of  light  upon  the  mysteries  of 
mental  disease,  the  bewildering  problems  of  sex,  the 
significance  of  myth  and  legend,  the  association  of 
art  and  life,  the  subject  of  education,  the  develop- 
ment of  the  mind  of  the  child  and  the  social  customs 
of  mankind. 

The  theories  of  Freud  demand  the  careful  at- 
tention of  teachers.  I  can  only  outline  very  briefly 
the  chief  principle  of  the  newest  psychology.  The 
theory  is  based  on  the  tendency  of  primal  desire  and 
volition  to  come  into  conflict  with  the  moral  sense 
and  the  ethical  ideas  of  civilised  society.  This  strug- 
gle for  the  modern  man  or  woman,  and  perhaps  espe- 


52  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

cially  for  woman,  is  more  or  less  continuous  and 
subjects  us  all  to  severe  repressions.  A  repressed 
wish  or  tendency  is  not  banished.  It  remains  alive, 
though  apparently  controlled,  and  works  in  the  mind 
in  a  mysterious  secret  way.  The  wish  or  impulsion, 
being  opposed  to  our  moral  or  social  conceptions, 
has  to  be  censored  or  held  in  firm  check.  This  con- 
flict may  become  a  "  complex  "  in  the  subconscious 
self,  causing  mental  perplexity,  depression  or  various 
forms  of  minor  neurosis. 

In  dreams  the  unfulfilled  wish  manifests  itself 
symbolically.  The  vision  is  symbolic,  because  the 
wish  is  something  that  the  subject  refuses  to  con- 
front directly.  Dreams  give  us  glimpses  of  what 
we  really  crave.  They  afford  startling  instances  of 
our  real  and  deepest  tendencies  to  the  psychoanalyst 
trained  in  their  interpretation.  A  dream  may  be  de- 
scribed as  a  revelation  to  the  consciousness  of  a 
drama  played  in  the  subconscious  mind,  or  the  work- 
ing of  a  powerful  desire  that  the  dreamer  has  tried 
to  expel  from  waking  thoughts. 

Psychoanalysts  cautiously  dissect  and  examine 
dreams  for  a  clue  to  repressed  tendencies.  They 
also  make  use  of  the  "  association  method,"  in  which 
a  selected  list  of  words  is  repeated  to  the  subject, 
who  replies  as  quickly  as  he  can  with  a  single- word 
image  called  up  by  the  test  word.  If  the  response 
is  slow  to  a  particular  word,  that  word  possesses 
considerable  personal  psychic  significance.  For  ex- 
ample, if  the  person  under  examination  cannot  re- 
spond rapidly  to  the  word  "  father,"  the  delay  might 


PREPARATION  FOR  TEACHING       53 

be  accepted  as  pointing  to  a  "  father  complex."  The 
man  who  ponders  for  some  seconds  upon  the  asso- 
ciation of  "  father,"  and  then  says  "  severe,"  gives 
the  psychoanalyst  an  illuminating  reply.  But  his 
response  may  be  far  less  plainly  significant,  and  it  is 
the  task  of  the  analyst  to  divine  the  true  meaning 
of  an  apparently  irrevelant  reply. 

For  the  normally  minded,  psychoanalysis  cannot 
fail  to  prove  helpful,  and  it  is  a  mistake  to  suppose 
that  the  method  is  only  useful  in  the  cure  of  psycho- 
pathic symptoms.  Any  research  that  will  enable  us 
to  understand  in  the  least  degree  some  of  the  pro- 
found and  apparently  inscrutable  mysteries  of  the 
operation  of  the  normal  mind  is  highly  valuable. 
It  is  probable  that  the  psychoanalytic  method  will  be 
widely  employed  in  the  future  in  the  difficult  field 
of  ethical  training.  Professor  Jung's  remarkable 
work  upon  The  Psychology  of  the  Unconscious 
should  be  studied  by  every  teacher  and  sociologist. 
The  psychoanalytic  literature  is  increasing  steadily 
in  England,  America  and  the  Continental  countries. 

"  Know  thyself  "  is  the  injunction  of  ancient  wis- 
dom. Every  thinking  human  being  is  a  mystery  to 
himself  or  herself.  We  are  bewildered  by  our  temp- 
tations, surging  impulses,  moral  defections,  frustra- 
tion of  powerful  yearnings  and  vestigial  relics  of 
superstition  and  fantasy.  The  psychic  conflict  im- 
pels some  to  drugs  and  alcoholic  stimulants,  and 
drives  others  into  neurosis,  depression  of  mind,  mor- 
bid anxiety  and  weariness  of  life.  A  single  shock 
to  the  mind  in  childhood  may  give  rise  to  highly 


54  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

complicated  mental  and  nervous  symptoms  in  after 
life.  The  new  investigations  into  the  subconscious 
mind,  the  origin  of  our  perplexities  and  dreads,  and 
their  reaction  upon  thought  and  conduct  are  clear- 
ing away  a  cloud  of  primitive  misconceptions  and 
hindering  delusions. 

If  the  prospective  teacher  cannot  purge  himself 
from  hindering  reactions  and  realise  that  this  is  one 
of  the  most  urgent  of  all  reforms  in  education  he  is 
certainly  unfitted  for  a  solemn  task.  On  the  other 
hand,  if  the  aspirant  feels  keenly,  and  is  impelled  to 
the  vocation  by  moral  enthusiasm,  humanism  and  a 
devotion  to  truth,  he  will  find  that  there  are  no  in- 
surmountable obstructions  in  the  path  of  self -tuition. 
There  is  now  a  wide  literature  of  biology,  physiology 
and  sex  psychology  in  Europe  and  America.  This 
ranges  from  the  primer  to  the  advanced  text-book. 
The  teacher  with  the  right  mental  attitude  to  the 
subject  and  an  aptitude  for  study  need  not  be  de- 
terred because  he  or  she  has  not  undergone  a  lengthy 
scientific  training. 

A  thoroughly  educated  science  teacher  might 
possess  the  technical  knowledge  and  yet  lack  enthu- 
siasm for  this  teaching.  Undoubtedly  the  scientific 
spirit  is  of  prime  importance.  But  we  must  avoid 
the  dry-bone  method  of  instruction  as  cautiously  as 
we  steer  clear  of  undue  emotionality.  Our  teaching 
should  be  soundly  scientific,  with  an  admixture  of 
aesthetics  and  poetry.  The  moral  aspect  of  the  sub- 
ject must  not  become  a  dreary  exhortation,  but  hope- 
ful, practically  helpful  and  inspiring. 


PREPARATION  FOR  TEACHING      55 

Knowledge  of  the  reproduction  of  plants  is  neces- 
sary, and  this  may  be  learned  from  the  standard 
manuals  of  botany.  The  evolution  of  sex  should 
be  studied  from  the  unicellulars  and  the  infusoria  on 
to  the  multicellular  organisms  and  the  sperm  and 
egg  producing  animals  up  to  man.  The  expansion 
of  the  psychic  influences  as  we  rise  in  the  evolution- 
ary scale  should  be  especially  noted,  and  ample  illus- 
trations are  to  be  found  in  the  courtship  and  mating 
of  birds  and  quadrupeds.  Entomology  will  assist  in 
explaining  reproductive  processes. 

The  physiology  of  human  reproduction  should  be 
carefully  studied  from  the  standard  text-books  be- 
fore the  study  of  sexual  psychology.  Some  knowl- 
edge of  sex  pathology  is  necessary.  Genetics  and 
eugenics  should  be  part  of  the  preparatory  course. 
Anthropology  should  be  included. 

It  is  true  that  the  full  study  of  any  one  of  these 
branches  of  science  is  the  labour  oi  years  or  a  whole 
lifetime.  The  teacher  cannot  master  all  these  sub- 
jects; but  he  can  understand  their  importance  and 
scope  and  acquaint  himself  with  the  rudiments  and 
the  essential  facts  for  the  instruction  of  the  young. 

ii 

Whether  the  instruction  is  given  individually  or  in 
classes,  the  teacher  should  formulate  a  clear  scheme. 
The  following  is  a  short  suggested  plan  of  instruc- 
tion :  — 

Embryology. —  Explain  at  the  outset  how  life  be- 
gan with  protoplasm.  Show  an  egg  as  an  illustra- 


56     A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

tion  of  a  cell,  and  point  out  the  great  diversity  in 
size  of  cells  from  the  minutely  microscopic  to  the 
fowl's  egg.  Explain  the  process  of  cell  division, 
fission  and  budding,  and  pass  on  to  reproduction 
by  the  sexual  method,  the  union  of  the  sperm  and 
the  ovum.  This  may  be  explained  to  young  chil- 
dren by  the  examination  of  anthers,  pistils  and  sta- 
mens. Cite  the  potato  as  an  instance  of  a  continua- 
tion of  a  sexual  generation  —  i.e.  by  growth  from 
seed  or  tubers.  The  difference  between  the  body  or 
somatic  cells  and  the  germinal  cells  should  be  pointed 
out  and  their  use  explained.  Various  seeds  of 
plants  can  be  shown  as  germs.  Eggs  of  insects, 
such  as  the  cabbage  butterfly  or  the  silkworm  moth, 
should  be  shown.  Take  a  poppy  seed  and  describe 
how  this  minute  germ  contains  the  determinants  of 
size,  colour  and  other  qualities  of  the  full-grown 
plant.  Some  examples  of  heredity  may  be  given  in 
plants,  insects,  animals  and  man  showing  the  won- 
ders of  the  germ  plasm. 

Nature  Study. —  Children  should  be  taken  for 
country  rambles  and  taught  how  to  use  the  senses 
of  vision  and  hearing.  Encourage  them  to  observe 
wayside  plants  and  to  distinguish  different  kinds  of 
birds.  The  variation  in  the  plumage  of  male  and 
female  birds  should  be  indicated.  In  springtime 
nests  may  be  examined.  There  should  be  attention 
directed  to  the  chivalry  and  courage  of  male  birds 
and  their  solicitude  for  the  mate  and  the  young. 
Lessons  of  ethical  value  can  be  learned  by  the  altru- 
ism and  devotion  of  sentinel  birds  among  the  gre- 


PREPARATION  FOR  TEACHING       57 

garious  species,  industry  and  skill  in  building  the 
home,  and  ingenuity  in  providing  for  the  fledglings. 
Numerous  instances  of  parental  care  and  bravery 
may  be  given,  and  examples  of  the  affection  of  mated 
pairs. 

The  country-side  is  a  huge  open  volume  of  fairy 
lore  which  cannot  fail  to  interest  children  if  the 
teacher  possesses  the  right  aptitude  and  knowledge. 
Natural  history  study  can  be  made  as  fascinating  as 
sport.  Birds  and  animals  can  be  stalked  and 
watched  at  work  or  play.  Bloodless  hunting  for 
insects,  birds  and  animals  will  stimulate  interest  in 
nature,  train  the  faculties,  teach  perseverance,  pa- 
tience and  concentration,  and  provide  a  healthy 
hobby  of  great  educational  value. 

Children  should  collect  the  eggs  of  butterflies  and 
moths,  await  the  emergence  of  the  larvae,  and  keep 
them  during  the  caterpillar  and  chrysalis  stages  until 
the  full-grown  insect  (imago)  leaves  the  pupa  case. 
Differences  in  secondary  sexual  characters  of  insects, 
form  and  colour,  may  be  observed.  The  life  history 
of  the  mayfly  and  of  insects  born  from  ova  dropped 
into  water  is  an  interesting  study  for  most  intelli- 
gent children. 

Sitting  under  an  oak  in  autumn,  the  instructor 
may  instance  the  lavishness  of  nature  in  providing 
the  seed,  and  explain  that  only  a  tiny  proportion  of 
the  scattered  acorns  will  grow  into  trees.  Explana- 
tion may  be  made  why  the  seed  is  so  profuse  in 
plants  and  animals.  The  ova  of  salmon  and  other 
fish  may  be  instanced.  Children  like  object  lessons; 


58  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

therefore  many  different  life  germs  should  be  shown 
to  them  from  the  seeds  of  common  flowers  and 
vegetables  to  birds'  eggs,  frog  spawn  and  the  roe 
of  fish. 

Ponds  are  alluring  to  children,  and  almost  any 
pool  contains  interesting  creatures.  Frog  spawn 
may  be  examined  and  tadpoles  watched  as  they 
merge  into  frogs.  The  adornment  of  the  male  newt 
in  the  pairing  season,  the  hatching  out  of  aquatic 
insects  from  the  mud,  the  spawning  of  fish  and  the 
pairing  and  nesting  of  moorhens  and  coots  are 
among  a  few  of  the  manifold  object  lessons  afforded 
by  a  pond. 

The  farmyard  is  another  field  of  research.  Les- 
sons in  parental  devotion  may  be  learned  from  fowls, 
cows,  pigs  and  sheep.  The  protective  instinct  of 
the  cock  is  instanced  in  his  agitation  and  solicitude 
for  the  hens  when  a  hawk  appears.  Devotion  is 
shown  by  the  mother  bird  in  sheltering  her  brood 
and  denying  herself  of  the  choicest  morsels  of  food. 
Children  should  see  the  chick  emerge  from  the  egg.. 
The  keeping  of  pet  animals  should  be  encouraged. 
By  means  of  nature  study  an  intelligent  teacher  can 
impart  a  knowledge  of  the  immune  reproductive 
energy  in  all  living  things  and  explain  incidentally 
some  of  the  methods  of  generation.  Many  impor- 
tant introductory  lessons  in  sex  education  may  be 
learned  in  the  woods,  and  on  the  moors  and  hills. 
This  pleasant  form  of  study  is  more  attractive  than 
any  classroom  teaching. 

Physiology. —  From  puberty  onwards  it  is  neces- 


PREPARATION  FOR  TEACHING   59 

sary  that  the  inquiries  of  the  boy  or  girl  should  be 
answered  frankly.  We  must  tell  our  pupils  the 
truth.  This  requires  proper  knowledge,  insight  into 
character,  tact,  candour  and  sympathy.  Physiolog- 
ical tuition  need  not  be  purely  anatomical  or  histolog- 
ical.  It  can  be  made  even  romantic  and  poetic  with- 
out endangering  scientific  fact. 

A  clear  exposition  of  reproduction  in  mankind 
may  be  desired  by  a  naturally  curious  boy  or  girl. 
This  may  be  given  in  private  talks  between  the  tutor 
and  the  pupil.  In  the  case  of  serious  students  of 
from  sixteen  to  twenty,  it  may  be  possible  to  give 
class  lectures  on  sexual  physiology,  especially  if  the 
students  have  been  gradually  prepared  for  this 
course.  But  at  the  present  stage  in  the  development 
of  sex  teaching  many  teachers  agree  that  private  in- 
struction is  the  better  method  in  the  majority  of 
schools. 

At  the  outset  the  instructor  should  stress  the  inti- 
mate connection  of  the  brain  and  the  sexual  system. 
The  structure  of  the  reproductive  organs  should  be 
explained,  their  rapid  development  at  puberty,  their 
high  racial  purpose  and  their  hygienic  care.  The 
difference  in  the  germ  cells  of  man  and  woman 
should  be  sho\vn.  Several  volumes  on  reproduc- 
tion contain  illustrations  of  the  spermatozoon  and 
the  ovum.  Young  men  and  women  of  the  nubile 
age  are  likely  to  ask  direct  questions  concerning  the 
physical  union  of  the  sexes.  They  may  be  be- 
trothed and  on  the  eve  of  marriage  and  yet  lack 
much  necessary  knowledge. 


60  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

The  more  pertinent  questions  can  be  answered  in 
a  perfectly  grave,  dispassionate  and  seemly  man- 
ner, and  it  is  safe  to  state  that  the  honesty  and 
frankness  of  the  teacher  will  win  the  gratitude  and 
respect  of  the  inquirers.  The  experienced  married 
adult  often  fails  in  apprehension  of  the  very  acute 
and  often  terribly  perplexing  conflicts  of  the  mind 
endured  by  unenlightened  or  half-enlightened  young 
men  and  maidens  who  are  about  to  marry.  This 
wholesome  demand  for  physiological  and  hygienic 
knowledge  must  be  gratified  by  explicit  and  honest 
information.  So  profound  is  the  prevailing  igno- 
rance of  sex  that  it  is  often  necessary  to  frame  an- 
swers in  the  very  simplest  language.  Decent- 
minded  youths,  who  may  only  know  the  vulgar  terms 
for  the  racial  organs,  are  frequently  ashamed  to 
speak  of  them.  The  Latin  words  used  by  educated 
persons  should  be  explained  by  the  teacher. 

There  are  now  several  reliable  volumes  upon 
marital  hygiene  which  may  be  safely  recommended 
to  young  men  and  women  upon  entering  married 
life. 

Sex  Psychology. —  This  includes  the  study  of  hu- 
man sex  selection,  the  evolution  of  modesty,  the 
relation  of  the  amative  impulse  to  the  main  activi- 
ties of  the  mind,  the  development  of  sexuality  in 
childhood,  and  adolescence  and  its  normal  mani- 
festations in  the  adult  life,  the  origin  and  nature  of 
aberrations  of  instinct,  the  question  of  sex  educa- 
tion, the  emotional  and  mental  differences  in  the 
sexes,  discussion  of  the  forms  of  human  marriage, 


PREPARATION  FOR  TEACHING      61 

inquiry  into  the  source  and  the  practice  of  sexual 
morality,  and  various  sociological  considerations. 

This  comprehensive  subject  cannot  be  neglected 
by  the  earnest  teacher,  social  reformer,  physician, 
alienist,  jurist  and  clergyman.  It  is  at  the  basis  of 
a  practical  sociology.  It  is  a  fundamental  part  of 
the  ethics  of  sex.  It  is  a  key  to  the  study  of  hu- 
man nature. 

Interest  in  the  psychology  of  sex  is  seldom  shown 
by  adolescents.  Most  of  the  volumes  on  the  sub- 
ject are  too  scientific  in  temper  and  in  terminology 
to  appeal  to  the  average  young  man.  Moreover, 
they  are  costly  and  in  some  instances  difficult  to 
obtain.  For  the  teacher  the  study  is  indispensable 
for  a  comprehensive  view  of  the  interaction  of  body 
and  mind  in  the  sexual  sphere,  for  an  understand- 
ing of  development  of  the  sex  life  and  as  the  bed- 
rock of  rational  sex  ethics.  Even  a  little  psycho- 
logical knowledge  may  protect  both  young  men  and 
young  women  from  the  perils  of  life,  and  assist 
them  in  choosing  the  right  partner  and  in  making 
marriage  harmonious. 

Anthropology  is  a  great  storehouse  of  data  for  the 
guidance  of  teachers  in  the  evolution  of  human  love 
and  sex  relationships.  All  pedagogues  should  be 
acquainted  with  the  works  of  Frazer,  Crawley,  Hart- 
land,  Reclus,  Heape,  Westermarck  and  Jung.  The 
sex  question  of  to-day  cannot  be  viewed  with  ade- 
quate knowledge  if  the  study  of  man's  erotic  de- 
velopment from  the  primitives  of  the  human  race 
up  to  the  civilised  human  beings  of  our  own  time  is 


62  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

omitted.  Anthropology  lets  in  the  light  upon  the 
origin  of  the  fear  of  the  sex  force,  the  meaning  of 
surviving  taboos,  the  part  played  by  symbolism  in 
culture,  the  socialising  influence  of  the  amatory  im- 
pulse and  the  moral  problems  of  sex. 

Hygiene  of  Sex. —  This  is  of  paramount  impor- 
tance. The  care  of  the  reproductive  organs  and 
functions  involves  both  physical  and  psychic  direc- 
tion. If  the  reverent,  non-prudish  and  non-prurient 
attitude  is  encouraged  from  the  earliest  years  of 
childhood  there  will  be  solicitude  for  the  preserva- 
tion of  the  health  of  the  whole  body.  Respect  for 
the  body  engenders  regard  for  hygiene. 

Both  sexes  should  be  told  the  importance  of  fre- 
quent local  ablution,  as  well  as  cleansing  the  whole 
surface  of  the  skin.  Indolent,  ease-loving  adoles- 
cents should  be  advised  to  find  some  congenial 
amusement  necessitating  free  exercise  of  the  mus- 
cles. Compulsory  sports  or  athletics  are  not  advis- 
able; but  everything  should  be  done  to  stimulate  a 
liking  for  the  open  air  and  active  exercise.  Diet 
must  be  sufficient  and  plain.  Regularity  of  bowel 
function  is  essential.  Special  instruction  is  neces- 
sary for  girls  on  the  hygiene  of  menstruation. 

The  aim  of  the  parent  and  teacher  should  be  to 
substitute  vigorous  games,  inducing  a  wholesome 
excitement,  as  a  counteracting  force  to  the  excita- 
tion wont  to  arise  from  mental  causes  when  the  body 
is  habitually  inactive.  Lying  awake  in  bed  after  a 
good  night's  sleep  should  be  discouraged.  Over- 
fatigue  must  be  avoided ;  for  nerve  and  muscle  tired- 


PREPARATION  FOR  TEACHING      63 

ness,  causing  restlessness  and  wakefulness,  is  often 
an  exciting  factor.  Needful  discrimination  must 
be  used  in  recommending  fatiguing  exertion  to  the 
young.  On  the  other  hand,  endurance  and  hard- 
ness must  be  fostered.  The  point  of  importance 
is  not  to  urge  the  too  willing  child  to  activity  that 
produces  a  depressing  fatigue;  The  feeling  of  tired- 
ness should  not  be  that  of  painful  exhaustion. 

Sexual  perversities  and  bad  habits  must  be 
checked  as  early  as  possible  by  therapeutic  confiden- 
tial talks  and  appeals  to  the  emotions.  It  must  be 
repeated  once  again  that  dire  threats,  violent  denun- 
ciations and  unsympathetic  reproaches  should  be 
avoided.  All  counsel  must  be  inspired  by  sympathy, 
the  cultivation  of  self-respect,  honour  for  the  gen- 
erative power,  and  idealistic  views  upon  the  love  of 
the  sexes.  Overstatement  of  mental  and  physical 
risks,  as  many  high  authorities  assert,  may  produce 
the  very  results  that  we  wish  to  combat. 

Sexual  Ethics. —  Moral  teaching  must  have  a  psy- 
chological basis.  Facts  must  be  faced  boldly. 
There  must  be  no  pretence  that  the  struggle  for 
chaste  living  in  a  powerfully  sexed  young  man  is 
very  simple.  The  striving  may  be  likened  to  a  stern 
athletic  contest  and  moral  mettle  and  resistance 
aroused  in  the  youth.  It  should  be  insisted  that 
strength  of  will  is  manly,  that  virility  endures  if  it 
has  not  been  abused  and  that  happy  married  love 
is  the  ultimate  reward  of  a  process  of  training  in 
restraint.  Both  sexes  should  look  forward  to  an 
early  marriage  as  the  right  state  of  life  in  maturity. 


64  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

There  should  be  warning  against  entering  conjugal- 
ity without  deep  affection. 

Warnings  against  the  dangers  of  flippancy,  vul- 
garity and  indecency  in  our  view  of  sexual  matters 
are  imperative.  A  clear  distinction  between  scien- 
tific interest  and  a  shame-faced,  idle  curiosity  must 
be  explained  with  great  care.  Many  persons  of  re- 
puted education  still  fail  to  perceive  the  difference 
between  lascivious  speculation  and  wholesome  eth- 
ical and  psychological  inquiry. 

Instruction  concerning  the  perils  of  venereal  dis- 
eases is  a  part  of  both  hygienic  and  moral  enlighten- 
ment. This  matter  cannot  be  shirked.  Many  adol- 
escents fall  into  danger  through  sheer  ignorance. 
Mere  vague  exhortations  to  purity  are  inadequate. 
The  evil  must  be  shown  in  all  its  bearings  upon  the 
individual,  the  family,  the  community  and  the  na- 
tion. The  warnings  must  begin  at  puberty.  We 
cannot  dismiss  our  responsibility  to  youth  and  the 
coming  generations  by  pleading  that  the  subject  is 
"  unfit  for  discussion  in  polite  society,"  "  unsav- 
oury "  or  "  revolting."  The  consequences  of  these 
diseases  are  undoubtedly  disastrous  and  repulsive. 
For  this  reason  every  means  of  prevention  and  cure 
must  be  employed,  and  the  preventive  measures 
must  begin  with  the  instilling  of  respect  for  the 
procreative  power,  refined  ideas  upon  sex  love  and 
an  enlightened  social  sense. 

The  basis  of  sexual  morality  is  the  recognition  of 
the  rights  and  claims  of  others  and  the  desire  to 
shun  the  infliction  of  injury  to  our  neighbours. 


PREPARATION  FOR  TEACHING   65 

When  it  is  known  that  an  enormous  number  of 
young  men  fall  victims  to  one  or  another  of  the 
two  pernicious  diseases  resulting  from  prostitution 
and  reckless  promiscuous  intercourse,  it  is  criminal 
neglect  to  refrain  from  plain  speaking.  If  venereal 
affections  can  be  reduced  remarkably  in  a  short  time, 
as  in  the  case  of  Bosnia,  by  the  institution  of  public 
instruction  upon  this  social  peril,  it  is  obvious  that 
the  spreading  of  knowledge  in  other  countries  is 
likely  to  prove  equally  efficacious.  The  tremendous 
increase  of  these  diseases  during  the  European  War 
calls  for  a  continued  vigorous  propaganda. 

The  bulk  of  young  men  are  still  disposed  to  treat 
gonorrhoea  lightly.  Owing  to  our  amazing  igno- 
rance of  all  matters  appertaining  to  the  sexual  life 
and  the  darkening  of  the  subject  of  this  racial  poi- 
soning, the  view  persists  that  this  infection  leaves 
no  after-effects  and  that  it  can  be  cured  in  a  few 
days.  Need  we  wonder  that  tens  of  thousands  of 
the  erring  and  the  innocent  suffer  through  the  con- 
sequences of  these  concealed  infections?  It  is  not 
only  the  vicious  who  are  punished.  Chaste  wives 
are  constantly  infected  by  their  husbands,  little  chil- 
dren contract  the  diseases,  and  infants  are  exposed 
to  this  terrible  taint. 

Young  men  should  be  told  that  neglected  gonor- 
rhoea often  produces  permanent  injury,  such  as  the 
blood-poisoning  known  as  septicaemia,  inflammation 
of  the  bladder,  kidney  affections,  disease  of  the 
prostate  and  the  urethra,  and  some  of  the  worst 
form  of  arthritic  or  joint  rheumatism.  Many  cases 


66  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

of  chronic  joint  inflammation,  incapacitating  the 
victims  from  work,  are  ascribed  to  gonorrhoeal  in- 
fection in  early  life.  The  results  upon  women  are 
even  more  appalling.  Many  physicians  attribute 
fifty  cases  of  sterility  out  of  a  hundred  to  this  cause. 
The  poison  often  penetrates  to  the  ovaries  and  sets 
up  serious  conditions.  Sepis  is  apt  to  occur  after 
child-birth.  Some  cases  of  abortion  are  due  to  this 
ravaging  ailment.  Iritis  may  affect  the  eyes,  and 
blindness  in  the  newly  born  is  a  common  result. 
This  specific  ophthalmia  is  highly  infectious,  and 
often  attacks  persons  living  regular  lives.  Much 
uterine  trouble  is  attributed  to  gonorrhoea. 

The  immediate  symptoms  of  syphilis  and  the 
devastating  effects  of  its  sequelae  should  be  explained 
to  both  sexes  at  puberty.  As  many  are  poisoned 
soon  after  puberty,  and  some  before,  the  need  for 
timely  monition  is  manifest.  Syphilitic  poisons  are 
liable  to  assail  any  part  of  the  body  long  after  the 
disappearance  of  the  primary  symptoms.  The  spir- 
ochcetes  (germs)  find  their  way  into  the  vital  organs 
and  sometimes  reach  the  heart  and  cause  angina 
pectoris.  They  penetrate  the  brain  and  the  nerves, 
producing  meningitis,  paralysis  of  one  side  of  the 
body  or  of  the  legs.  General  paralysis  of  the  insane 
is  another  manifestation  of  syphilitic  disease.  Lo- 
comotor  ataxia  is  one  serious  sequel.  Dementia 
may  be  caused.  Blindness  is  far  from  rare. 

Syphilis  is  heritable,  and  the  offspring  are  often 
attacked  by  convulsions,  inflammation  of  the  mucous 
membranes,  wasting  of  the  tissues,  bad  growth  of 


PREPARATION  FOR  TEACHING      67 

the  teeth,  deafness  and  mental  defectiveness  and 
idiocy.  Premature  births  and  still-births  are  a  com- 
mon consequence. 

It  is  apparent  that  ethical  admonition  to  purity 
should  be  supported  by  clear  statement  of  the  phys- 
ical and  mental  tragedies  arising  from  venereal  con- 
tagion. The  dangers  can  be  indicated  without  ter- 
rifying the  young  man  into  the  belief  that  it  is  im- 
possible to  escape  them  whether  one  is  chaste  or 
unchaste,  and  inducing  the  morbid  dread  known  as 
syphiliphobia.  It  should,  however,  be  pointed  out 
that  the  risks  for  the  loose-living  are  extremely  high, 
and  that  one  hour  of  dissipation  may  be  the  source 
of  suffering  and  sorrow  for  a  lifetime.  There  may 
well  be  stress  on  the  sordidness  of  mercenary  inter- 
course of  the  sexes,  the  social  injustice,  the  coarsen- 
ing and  brutalising  effect  of  prostitution,  the  perils 
to  the  race  and  the  serious  risks  of  loss  of  virility 
and  a  capacity  for  happy  married  love. 


CHAPTER  II 

INSTRUCTION    OF    YOUNG    CHILDREN 


THE  appropriate  opportunity  for  beginning  to  teach 
the  child  the  rudiments  of  reproduction  usually  oc- 
curs in  the  first  stages  of  childhood.  Wonder  often 
arises  in  the  mind  of  a  boy  or  girl  at  the  birth  of  a 
brother  or  sister,  or  at  the  breeding  of  domestic 
animals  and  household  pets.  Questions  are  ad- 
dressed to  the  parents  as  to  the  origin  of  life. 
Whence  comes  the  infant?  How  does  the  mother 
know  that  a  new  child  will  be  born?  These  are 
interrogations  that  occupy  the  mind  of  every  intel- 
ligent child.  Even  when  there  is  no  direct  question- 
ing, the  parent  may  still  assure  himself  or  herself 
that  the  child  is  speculative  and  curious. 

Frank-natured  children  who  have  not  been  re- 
pressed unduly  are  sure  to  ask  direct  questions. 
This  frankness  must  be  met  with  parental  candour, 
sympathy  and  tact.  Prompt  and  kindly  response  to 
the  inquiries  is  essential  from  the  outset.  A  loving 
talk  must  precede  all  formal  scientific  education,  and 
the  impression  made  by  this  candid  conversation  pre- 
pares the  way  for  later  and  fuller  instruction  in  the 
school  or  lecture-room. 

68 


INSTRUCTION  OF  CHILDREN         69 

V 

It  is  obvious  that  the  child  who  questions  the 
mother  has  a  natural  confidence.  Every  means 
should  be  observed  to  cherish  this  good  faith  and 
not  to  divert  it  nor  to  impair  it  in  any  way.  The 
mere  statement  that  God  "  sends  "  babies,  or  that 
storks  bring  them  to  the  parents,  does  not  satisfy  the 
average  child.  Most  children  show  a  capacity  for 
rational  thinking,  and  even  the  infantile  mind  is 
sometimes  astonishingly  logical. 

Let  it,  then,  be  taken  for  granted  that  the  mother 
desires  to  impart  the  necessary  knowledge  to  her 
child  as  early  as  possible  in  mental  growth.  This 
period  may  be  ten  years  before  the  coming  of  the 
pubertal  development.  The  child  of  three  or  four 
may  make  inquiry  in  a  perfectly  natural  manner. 
Although  there  must  be  certain  differences  in  the 
method  of  instructing  boys  and  girls  of  the  age  of 
fourteen,  younger  children  may  be  taught  on  a  simi- 
lar plan.  It  is  never  advisable  to  accentuate  too 
strongly  the  sexual  differentiations  in  childhood. 
What  is  fitting  for  the  boy  to  know  should  be  also 
fitting  for  the  girl  in  the  graduated  lessons  of  sex 
physiology. 

ii 

The  examples  of  sex  instruction  that  follow  may, 
of  course,  be  modified,  amplified  or  revised  at  the  dis- 
cretion of  the  teacher,  and  in  regard  to  the  age,  in- 
telligence and  idiosyncrasy  of  the  pupil.  The  lan- 
guage should  be  simple  and  homely.  The  poetic 
and  symbolic  can  be  blended  with  practical  enlight- 


70  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

enment,  and  the  whole  subject  rendered  interesting 
as  well  as  serious.  In  words  such  as  these  the 
Another  may  reply  to  her  young  child's  first  ques- 
tionings : 


LESSON  I. —  COMING  TO  LIFE 

You  were  very  surprised  this  morning  when  you 
found  that  pussy  had  four  beautiful  little  kittens 
cuddling  up  to  her,  and  you  have  asked  me  where 
the  kittens  came  from.  It  seems  very  wonderful 
that  yesterday  there  were  no  kitties,  and  to-day  there 
are  four  of  them,  all  alive  and  hungry.  But  the 
kittens  were  growing  for  a  long  time,  safe  and  warm 
in  the  body  of  their  mother.  It  needed  many  weeks 
for  them  to  get  ready  to  come  into  the  world  as  soft, 
warm,  furry  kittens.  You  see  that  their  eyes  are 
still  closed,  and  that  they  are  weak  on  their  legs, 
and  not  able  yet  to  romp  about,  as  they  will  do  in  a 
few  weeks'  time.  When  you  were  born  you  could 
not  see  at  all  clearly  for  some  days,  and  if  I  had 
made  a  sudden  loud  noise  you  would  not  have  heard 
it. 

In  a  few  days  the  kittens  will  see,  and  they  will 
begin  to  know  you  by  sight.  And  now  I  will  tell 
you  how  the  kittens  grew  in  the  body  of  their 
mother,  because  I  want  you  to  learn  what  a  wonder- 
ful thing  life  is,  and  how  all  the  birds  and  the  ani- 
mals and  men  and  women  are  born.  The  kittens 
grew  from  tiny  seeds  or  eggs  in  the  body  of  their 
mother.  You  know  that  if  I  take  a  pea  and  put  it 


INSTRUCTION  OF  CHILDREN         71 

under  the  ground  in  the  garden  that  the  warm  earth 
will  make  it  grow.  In  a  few  weeks  a  little  sprout 
shows  above  the  soil,  and  soon  it  becomes  a  tiny 
leaf,  and  goes  on  growing  till  it  climbs  up  a  tall 
stick.  If  you  like  to  put  some  seeds  of  cress  on  a 
piece  of  wet  flannel  you  will  be  giving  life  to  a 
plant  This  is  very  wonderful  and  you  can  try  it 
for  yourself. 

The  seed  from  which  the  kittens  come  is  very  tiny 
indeed.  But  it  grows  and  grows  and  is  fed  by  the 
mother's  blood.  You  know  that  puss  has  been  hun- 
grier lately.  That  was  because  much  of  the  food 
that  she  ate  had  to  feed  the  kittens  that  were  grow- 
ing within  her.  Now  perhaps  you  understand  that 
all  living  things  come  from  seed  or  eggs,  just 
like  trees  and  plants  grow  from  seed  sown  in  the 
earth. 

In  old  days  men  used  to  call  the  earth  "  the  Great 
Mother  "  and  "  Mother  Earth,"  because  the  earth  is 
the  mother  of  the  huge  oak-trees  that  spring  from 
acorns  and  of  the  lovely  flowers  of  the  garden. 
And  the  plants  and  the  vegetables  that  grow  on  the 
earth  are  the  food  of  many  animals,  such  as  ele- 
phants, camels,  cows  and  sheep. 

When  the  kittens  were  big  enough  to  be  born  they 
wanted  to  leave  the  body  of  the  mother  and  come 
into  the  light.  So  they  found  their  way  out  through 
a  part  of  the  body  which  has  been  called  the  gate- 
way of  life.  And  now  you  see  they  are  quite  alive 
and  drinking  the  milk  that  is  made  in  the  breasts  of 
the  mother. 


72  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

LESSON  II. —  BIRDS  AND  THEIR  YOUNG 

This  morning  let  us  walk  across  the  meadow  to 
the  copse  and  look  for  birds'  nests.  I  want  to  show 
you  a  blackbird's  home,  or  nest,  with  the  eggs  in  it, 
which  will  in  a  few  days  become  little  birds  with 
large,  hungry  gaping  mouths  and  almost  naked 
bodies.  I  think  we  shall  find  a  nest  in  that  black- 
thorn bush  with  the  pretty  white  blossoms  showing. 
Do  you  know  that  those  blossoms  will  turn  into  lit- 
tle sour  plums  called  sloes,  and  that  some  of  the 
sloes  will  fall  on  the  ground  and  after  some  time 
make  other  sloe  or  blackthorn  bushes?  You 
see  again  that  all  living  things  come  from  seeds  or 
eggs. 

Now  I  have  found  a  blackbird's  nest  with  bluey 
eggs  spotted  with  brown.  There  are  five  of  them. 
Each  one  has  a  tiny  bird  in  it,  and  the  eggs  were 
dropped  in  the  nicely  made  nest  by  the  hen  or 
mother  bird.  You  know  there  are  two  sexes  in 
birds  —  the  males  or  cocks,  and  the  females  or  hens. 
The  hens  are  the  mothers  and  the  cocks  are  the 
fathers.  The  father  bird  is  blacker  than  the  mother 
bird,  and  he  has  an  orange  beak.  He  is  very  fond  of 
the  mother,  and  keeps  near  her  for  many  weeks  in 
the  spring.  While  the  hen  is  sitting  on  the  eggs  to 
keep  them  warm  and  make  the  birds  in  them,  the 
father  goes  to  find  food  for  her.  He  sits  on  a 
bough  not  far  from  the  nest  and  often  sings  a  cheer- 
ful song  to  his  wife  or  mate.  When  the  young 
birds  are  hatched,  the  male  bird  feeds  both  them  and 


INSTRUCTION  OF  CHILDREN         73 

the  mother,  and  keeps  watch  against  enemies,  such 
as  hawks  and  crows,  or  cruel  children. 

If  you  feel  one  of  the  eggs  you  will  find  that  it  is 
warm.  If  it  gets  cold  the  little  bird  inside  will  die. 
After  several  days  the  chicken  in  the  egg  has  a  few 
feathers,  and  his  beak  grows.  When  he  is  ready  to 
come  out  he  picks  a  hole  in  the  shell,  pushes  his  head 
through  and  wiggles  out.  The  eggs  grow  in  the 
body  of  the  hen,  and  in  March  or  April  she  has  the 
nest  all  ready  to  lay  the  eggs  in.  But  before  she 
begins  to  make  the  nest  she  finds  a  male  bird,  or 
mate.  She  chooses  him  because  he  is  strong  and 
brave  and  kind.  The  hen  knows  that  she  must  have 
a  protector  while  she  is  sitting  on  the  eggs  and  at- 
tending to  the  young  ones,  and  she  wants  a  mate  to 
help  her  to  build  the  home.  Just  as  your  father  and 
I  love  one  another  and  you,  so  the  male  and  female 
blackbirds  love  one  another  and  their  family. 

LESSON  III. —  BUTTERFLIES 

You  have  seen  the  blackbird's  eggs  and  learned 
something  about  how  birds  are  born.  To-day  I  want 
to  tell  you  about  butterflies.  Come  into  the  garden 
and  let  us  look  for  butterfly  eggs.  Here  are  some 
on  this  cabbage  leaf,  little  specks  all  clustered  to- 
gether. Inside  those  specks  of  eggs  are  tiny  grubs, 
or  caterpillars,  waiting  to  be  born.  One  day  they 
will  bore  their  way  out  of  the  eggs  and  begin  to 
feed  on  the  leaves.  They  have  strong  jaws  and  are 
able  to  eat  large  holes  in  the  leaves.  When  the 


74  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

caterpillars  are  big  they  seem  to  get  sleepy  and  tired. 
They  leave  off  eating  and  a  shell  begins  to  grow  over 
them.  They  then  turn  into  pupae  or  chrysalises. 
The  chrysalis  lies  as  though  it  was  dead ;  but  it  is  not 
really  so.  Inside  the  shell  a  white  butterfly  is  form- 
ing. 

It  is  very  strange  and  wonderful  that  the  butter- 
fly, which  only  lives  for  a  few  days,  should  be  so 
long  in  the  making.  First  it  is  an  egg  in  the  body 
of  the  mother  butterfly  and  is  laid  on  the  cabbage 
leaf.  Then  it  becomes  a  caterpillar  and  eats  hun- 
grily till  it  changes  to  a  chrysalis;  and  at  last  the 
perfect  insect,  a  fine  white  butterfly  with  black- 
spotted  wings,  comes  into  the  sunshine  and  flies 
about,  seeking  for  a  mate. 

If  the  butterfly  is  a  female,  or  mother,  she  soon 
gets  eggs  in  her  and  looks  for  a  nice  young  cabbage 
on  which  to  lay  them.  When  she  has  done  this  her 
life's  work  is  over  and  she  soon  dies.  But  she 
leaves  behind  her  a  great  number  of  eggs,  which  are 
the  beginnings  of  more  butterflies. 

LESSON  IV. —  How  FISH  ARE  BORN 

I  have  told  you  something  about  birds,  butterflies 
and  kittens  and  how  they  all  come  from  eggs  or 
seeds.  Let  us  talk  to-day  about  fish  and  how  they 
are  born.  It  is  a  curious  thing  that  the  egg  of  a 
salmon  is  very  much  bigger  than  the  egg  of  many 
animals  that  are  much  larger.,  We  call  the  eggs  of 
salmon  roe.  A  salmon's  egg  is  almost  as  large  as  a 


INSTRUCTION  OF  CHILDREN         75 

pea.  It  is  like  jelly,  and  if  you  drop  it  on  the  floor 
it  will  bounce  like  a  ball.  Inside  that  little  ball  of 
jelly  is  the  germ  or  seed  of  a  fish  that  may  grow  to 
fifty  pounds  in  weight.  You  know  that  a  little 
acorn  will  make  a  huge  oak. 

Only  the  female  or  mother  salmon  has  eggs. 
She  has  very  many  thousands  of  them.  In  the  au- 
tumn these  eggs  swell  and  are  called  "  ripe."  This 
means  that  Nature  is  anxious  for  more  salmon  to 
be  born.  Nature  always  wants  plants  and  animals 
to  increase,  and  that  is  why  she  gives  them  an 
enormous  quantity  of  eggs. 

When  the  mother  salmon  feels  that  she  would  like 
to  get  rid  of  some  of  the  ripe  eggs,  she  grows  rest- 
less, and  swims  up  the  river  to  the  higher  part, 
where  the  water  flows  over  a  nice  clean  gravel  bed. 
On  the  way  she  meets  the  father  salmon,  who  goes 
with  her.  This  is  called  pairing.  In  the  spring  the 
birds  pair  before  they  have  young  ones.  We  may 
say  that  the  two  salmon  are  a  married  pair,  for  they 
keep  together  for  many  weeks.  The  place  where 
the  female  salmon  lays  her  eggs  is  called  the  redd  or 
spawning  bed.  Before  she  lays  the  eggs,  the  male 
salmon  helps  her  to  make  a  number  of  little  hollows 
in  the  gravelly  bed  of  the  stream.  The  eggs  are 
passed  from  the  body  of  the  mother  salmon  into  the 
holes,  and  both  the  father  and  mother  keep  watch 
over  them  for  some  time. 

But  the  mother  salmon  cannot  make  young  sal- 
mon without  the  help  of  the  father.  If  she  laid  the 
eggs  and  nothing  was  done  to  them  they  would  never 


;6  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

become  little  fish.  So  the  male  salmon  covers  them 
with  milky  stuff,  called  milt,  to  make  them  fruitful 
or  fertile.  This  means  that  the  milt  must  be  added 
to  the  eggs  before  tiny  salmon  can  be  born. 


LESSON  V. —  SEED  AND  PLANTS 

You  know  now  that  both  the  male  (or  man)  sal- 
mon and  the  female  (or  woman)  come  together  to 
bring  young  ones  into  life.  In  plants  we  shall  find 
the  male  and  female,  as  we  do  in  the  animals.  Some 
plants  are  both  male  and  female  in  one,  but  in  others 
they  are  separate  plants.  You  have  tasted  dates. 
These  fruits  grow  on  big  trees.  One  tree  may  be 
called  the  father  and  another  the  mother,  and  unless 
the  two  grow  near  together  there  will  be  no  young 
dates. 

When  plants  have  flowers  the  male  or  father  part 
is  called  the  stamen  and  the  mother  or  female  part 
is  called  the  pistil.  Before  the  little  plant  can  grow 
in  the  seed  a  powder  called  pollen  from  the  stamen 
must  fall  on  the  pistil.  I  have  told  you  that  Nature 
wishes  many  animals  to  be  born.  She  is  just  as 
anxious  that  there  shall  be  trees  and  flowers ;  so  she 
provides  plenty  of  seed.  In  the  "  clock  "  of  a  dan- 
delion, the  feathery-  seeds  that  you  often  blow  into 
the  air,  are  as  many  as  240,000.  Some  of  these 
thousands  upon  thousands  of  feathers,  after  drop- 
ping to  the  ground,  turn  into  little  dandelions. 

Some  plants  are  able  to  make  seed  by  the  help  of 
the  wind,  which  blows  the  pollen  on  to  the  pistil. 


INSTRUCTION  OF  CHILDREN         77 

These  are  called  wind-loved  plants.  Other  plants 
grow  seed  through  the  work  of  insects,  and  espe- 
cially the  busy  bees,  that  come  to  the  flowers  for 
honey.  If  you  notice  a  bumble  bee  you  will  see 
powder  or  pollen  on  his  hairy  body,  and  this  pollen 
is  left  on  the  pistils  of  flowers  to  make  new  flowers 
bloom  on  new  plants. 

The  flowers  that  insects  visit  are  generally  very 
brightly  coloured,  scarlet,  yellow  or  blue,  and  they 
have  sugar  or  honey  in  them.  While  the  bee  is  getr 
ting  honey  to  eat  and  to  store  up  for  the  winter,  he 
does  not  know  that  he  is  helping  to  make  plants. 
In  hot  countries,  where  there  are  very  tiny  birds, 
known  as  humming-birds,  plants  are  increased  by 
these  birds  carrying  the  pollen  from  one  flower  to 
another. 

Young  plants  are  not  born  from  the  bodies  of 
other  plants,  but  from  Mother  Earth.  The  seed 
falls  from  the  plants  when  it  is  dry  and  ripe  and 
lies  on  the  ground,  sometimes  covered  by  dead 
leaves,  and  in  time  it  bursts  and  the  shoot  of  a  baby 
plant  comes  above  the  soil. 

LESSON  VI. —  WONDERS  OF  BIRTH 

In  some  very  curious  living  creatures,  such  as 
worms  that  you  see  in  the  garden  and  leeches  that 
swim  in  ponds,  the  father  and  mother  part  are  in  the 
same  animal.  It  is  when  we  begin  to  learn  about 
the  higher  kinds  of  animals,  the  birds,  four-legged 
things  and  men,  that  we  find  the  father  part  and  the 


78  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

mother  part  in  two  different  persons.  Some  ani- 
mals are  nothing  more  than  a  skin,  a  stomach  and 
a  mouth,  like  certain  kinds  of  live  sponges.  Crea- 
tures of  this  kind  grow  new  creatures  out  of  them- 
selves by  casting  off  parts  of  their  bodies.  Among 
the  rocks  of  mountains  are  beautiful  white  crys- 
tals which  grow  to  a  certain  size  and  then  make 
other  crystals.  It  is  so  with  some  sorts  of  animal 
beings. 

When  the  mother  part  and  father  part  are  found 
in  the  same  living  creature  it  is  able  to  have  young 
by  very  tiny  specks  of  the  two  parts  coming  to- 
gether. The  mother  part  is  generally  much  larger 
than  the  father  part.  -Some  oysters  have  both  parts 
and  others  only  one.  The  same  thing  is  seen  in 
garden  slugs.  In  some  water-animals  the  father 
part  and  mother  part  fall  from  the  animal  and  come 
together  to  make  a  new  being.  Sometimes  these 
two-in-one  animals  can  separate  themselves  into  two 
halves.  This  is  called  cleavage  or  division.  One 
of  the  animals  that  splits  off  parts  of  the  body  to 
make  another  living  creature  is  the  sea-anemone,  and 
another  is  the  jelly-fish. 

LESSON  VII. —  CHILD  LIFE 

You  have  asked  me  how  you  came  to  life 'and  I 
will  tell  you.  You  have  learned  already  several  in- 
teresting and  wonderful  things  about  the  coming  to 
life  of  some  insects,  birds,  fishes  and  cats.  When 
your  father  and  I  knew  that  we  loved  one  another, 


INSTRUCTION  OF  CHILDREN         79 

and  were  married,  I  hoped  that  I  might  have  a  baby 
of  my  very  own  and  so  did  your  father. 

One  day  I  felt  that  a  little  live  creature  was  be- 
ginning to  grow  in  me,  and  I  knew  that  I  should 
have  a  child.  For  several  months  you  grew  inside 
me,  safe  and  warm,  not  far  below  my  heart.  At 
first  you  were  only  a  seed,  but  month  by  month  you 
began  to  shape  into  a  little  boy.  I  could  not  tell 
then  whether  you  would  be  a  boy  or  a  girl  and  I  did 
not  know  till  you  were  born. 

You  lay  in  a  nest,  which  grew  larger  while  you 
were  growing,  and  before  you  came  into  the  world, 
through  the  gateway  of  life,  I  knew  that  you  were 
alive  and  getting  bigger,  because  sometimes  I  could 
feel  you  moving.  Some  of  the  food  that  I  ate  came 
to  you  from  my  blood,  which  passed  through  your 
little  body  and  made  you  strong. 

At  last  you  had  grown  big  enough  to  come  into 
the  world  and  to  leave  the  warm  nest.  Like  the 
chickens  in  the  egg,  you  wanted  to  come  out,  and 
you  found  the  way.  When  you  were  born  you  were 
tiny  and  helpless,  and  felt  cold  after  being  in  the 
nest.  I  was  very  happy  when  I  saw  my  dear  little 
son,  and  took  him  in  my  arms  to  warm  and  feed 
him.  For  a  long  time  you  were  fed  on  the  milk 
from  my  breasts.  When  you  grew  bigger  your 
teeth  began  to  come  and  you  were  able  to  chew 
food. 

That  is  how  my  son  came  to  life.  He  is  a  part 
of  myself,  and  that  is  why  I  love  him  and  he  loves 
me. 


80  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

Now  I  have  explained  all  that  you  want  to  know. 
If  anyone  tells  you  any  different  story  it  will  not  be 
true. 


LESSON  VIII. —  OUR  WONDERFUL  BODIES 

When  you  are  older  and  want  to  learn,  and  can 
understand  some  things  better,  you  will  learn  about 
the  body,  or  the  living  house  in  which  yo.u  breathe. 
It  is  a  very  wonderful  machine  and  so  wonderful 
that  even  wise  men  are  still  learning  something  new 
about  it.  I  wish  you  to  know  while  you  are  quite 
young  that  .the  body  is  precious  and  that  you  must 
take  care  of  it,  and  understand  it,  like  you  would 
take  care  of  something  that  you  valued  very  much. 

All  animals  that  have  bony  backbones  are  called 
vertebrates.  You  and  I  are  vertebrates.  Some  ani- 
mals, as  you  know,  do  not  get  milk  from  their  moth- 
ers when  they  are  little.  You  and  I  were  fed  on  our 
mothers'  milk,  and  we  are  called  mammals.  We  are 
the  highest  kinds  of  mammals  in  the  world.  This  is 
chiefly  because  we  can  think  much  better  than  other 
animals.  Our  brains  are  what  we  think  with,  and 
we  ought  to  learn  how  to  think  well,  so  that  we  may 
act  rightly,  keep  ourselves  well  and  be  of  use  to 
others  by  acting  wisely  and  kindly. 

If  we  do  not  know  anything  of  our  bodies  we  are 
sure  to  make  mistakes  sometimes.  All  children  have 
to  be  taught  what  they  should  eat  and  drink,  how  to 
keep  clean  and  other  important  matters.  The 
monkeys,  who  are  next  below  us  among  the  mam- 


INSTRUCTION  OF  CHILDREN         81 

mals,  know  many  things  by  instinct  and  do  not  need 
to  be  taught.  But  life  is  more  difficult  for  human 
beings  and  without  thought  they  would  be  worse  off 
than  many  animals.  If  a  young  monkey  is  thrown 
into  the  water  instinct  will  tell  him  how  to  swim. 
But  a  boy  has  to  be  taught  how  to  swim. 

The  body  can  only  be  kept  in  order  by  warmth, 
air  to  breathe,  food  and  drink,  rest,  work,  play,  and 
getting  rid  of  waste  things.  This  keeping  the  body 
clean  outside  and  in  is  very  important.  A  part  of 
the  useless  matter  that  is  amongst  our  food  and 
drink  must  be  sent  away  from  the  body.  Some  of 
it  goes  through  the  skin,  which  is  full  of  millions  of 
tiny  holes,  or  pores,  and  is  called  sweat.  If  the 
body  did  not  breathe  through  the  skin  it  would  soon 
die.  Washing  is  necessary  to  remove  some  of  the 
liquid,  or  sweat,  that  stops  on  the  skin,  and  to  keep 
the  pores  clean  and  open  to  the  air. 

Another  part  of  the  waste  stuff  is  passed  out  of 
the  body  through  the  bowels,  below  the  waist.  The 
outside  passage  is  called  the  anus.  The  watery 
waste  matter  comes  out  in  front  of  the  body.  Now 
I  want  to  tell  you  that  very  silly  boys  and  girls,  who 
have  not  been  brought  up  properly,  often  make 
stupid  remarks  about  these  parts  of  the  body. 
Don't  pay  any  attention  to  them.  There  is  really 
nothing  to  laugh  at  in  this  getting  rid  of  substances 
not  needed  in  the  body.  It  is  foolish  to  talk  un- 
necessarily about  these  duties  or  to  pretend  that  they 
are  either  shameful  or  funny. 

When  you  are  older  you  will  learn  more  about 


82  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

the  uses  of  certain  parts  or  organs  of  the  body;  but 
until  you  are  big  enough  to  understand,  just  think 
of  them  as  sensibly  as  you  do  about  the  eyes  or  the 
ears.  I  mention  the  parts  now  because  I  want  you 
to  use  them  properly  all  your  life.  Very  much  pain 
and  illness  come  from  not  attending  regularly  to 
getting  rid  of  the  unwanted  matter  through  the  two 
passages.  Many  men  and  women  are  ill  all  their 
lives  because  they  have  not  formed  a  good  habit  in 
this  way  when  they  were  children. 

The  urine,  or  water  from  the  body,  should  be 
passed  off  directly  the  feeling  is  uncomfortable,  and 
you  should  make  the  same  rule  about  the  excrement, 
or  unwanted  matter,  from  the  bowels.  I  can 
hardly  tell  you  how  important  it  is  to  remember  this. 
It  is  a  matter  that  concerns  not  only  the  body  but 
the  mind.  Your  happiness  depends  very  much  on 
your  doing  these  duties  regularly.  Many  children 
get  the  bad  habit  of  holding  back  the  waste  mate- 
rial in  the  bowels.  They  all  suffer,  sooner  or  later, 
from  this  foolishness. 

The  important  points  to  observe  in  the  early 
teaching  of  children  are:  (i)  A  frank,  natural  re- 
sponse to  curiosity;  (2)  Avoidance  of  any  sugges- 
tion that  the  question  is  unusual  or  startling;  (3) 
Cultivation  of  a  wholesome  interest,  as  though  the 
subject  was  as  entirely  permissible  as  arithmetic  or 
geography;  (4)  Repetition  of  the  fact  that  living 
creatures  grow  from  seed,  like  plants ;  ( 5 )  A  blend- 
ing of  scientific  truth  with  the  poetry  and  romance 


INSTRUCTION  OF  CHILDREN         83 

of  nature  (this  can  be  accomplished  by  talks  during 
country  rambles  and  by  reading  stories  of  the  fairy- 
land of  natural  history)  ;  (6)  The  encouragement  of 
experimentation  in  the  raising  of  plants  from  seed; 
(7)  Children  should  keep  pets,  and  take  an  intel- 
ligent interest  in  their  habits;  (8)  Defence  of  the 
child  against  prudish  persons  or  the  unclean-minded 
by  instilling  sound  knowledge  in  a  natural  fashion; 

(9)  Strict  attention  to  hygiene,  the  avoidance  of 
overfeeding  and  a  stimulating  diet,  and  too  long 
hours  in  overwarm  beds,   and  insistence  upon  the 
need  for  frequent  washing  of  the  whole  body,  free 
exercise  out  of  doors,  suitable  gymnastics  and  loose- 
fitting  clothing.     For  reasons  of  sexual  health,  as 
well  as  the  general  well-being  of  mind  and  body, 
strict  regularity  in  relieving  the  bowels  and  the  blad- 
der must  be  observed.     A  full  bladder  on  waking 
in  the  morning  is  often  the  cause  of  automatic  sex 
excitement  in  quite  young  boys,  as  well  as  in  adults ; 

(10)  Although  the  subject  should  not  be  rendered 
forbidding  by  an  undue  solemnity  of  mental  atti- 
tude and  tone  of  voice,  there  must  be  earnest  effort 
to  inspire  veneration  for  the  human  body  and  its 
functions,  and  no  hint  of  jesting  upon  the  love  of 
the  sexes. 


CHAPTER  III 

INSTRUCTION  FOR  ADOLESCENT  BOYS 


IN  the  section  of  this  volume  upon  the  training  of 
teachers  there  will  be  further  counsel  upon  hygienic 
and  moral  guidance  during  puberty  and  late  ado- 
lescence. The  suggested  course  of  instruction  in  the 
present  chapter  is  designed  for  children  at  the  age 
when  the  sexual  impulse  usually  develops  psychically 
as  a  result  of  physiological  changes  of  a  momentous 
character. 

At  this  crisis  the  questions  of  young  people  are 
more  pertinent  than  those  of  the  little  child.  In 
the  case  of  those  who  have  received  preliminary 
knowledge  a  fuller  curiosity  may  be  evinced  at  the 
age  of  puberty.  It  is,  however,  probable  in  some 
instances  that  shyness  and  reticence  may  arise. 
This  reserve  is  the  rule  among  children  whose  inter- 
rogations have  remained  unsatisfied.  There  is  a 
defensive,  secretive  attitude  at  this  period  in  the 
mental  and  emotional  growth.  But  this  reaction  is 
seldom  strong  when  the  subject  of  sex  has  been  un- 
folded by  carefully  graduated  confidential  and  fa- 
miliar conversational  teaching  by  the  parents. 

We  have  now  reached  the  stage  when  the  teacher 
84 


ADOLESCENT  BOYS  85 

may  be  called  upon  to  continue  the  teaching  of  the 
parent  or  to  begin  the  whole  course  of  tuition. 
There  is  divided  educational  opinion  upon  the 
methods  of  training  the  child  from  twelve  and  on- 
wards. Some  authorities  approve  of  class  instruc- 
tion, while  others  advise  private  and  personal  teach- 
ing. We  shall  return  to  this  matter  in  another 
chapter. 

ii 

LESSON  I. —  THE  POETRY  OF  THE  HUMAN  BODY 

The  word  poetic  has  more  than  one  meaning.  It 
may  signify  anything  that  can  be  expressed  in 
poems,  songs  or  verses,  or  may  denote  something 
that  can  be  described  as  beautiful  or  sublime. 
When  we  say  that  a  thing  is  sublime  we  wish  to  ex- 
press that  it  is  exalted,  fine,  noble  and  worthy  of 
reverence.  With  perfect  truth  we  say  that  the  hu- 
man body  is  sublime.  You  will  remember  that  our 
greatest  poet,  Shakespeare,  describes  man  as  a 
"  masterpiece."  Other  poetic  minds  have  paid 
proper  reverence  to  the  body.  Walt  Whitman 
wrote  with  admiring  enthusiasm  of  the  parts  of  the 
wonderful  mechanism  of  the  body  of  mankind. 

This  respect  to  the  sublimity  of  the  body  has 
been  shown  in  Art  ever  since  men  began  to  shape 
clay  or  to  draw  figures  on  stone,  bone  or  wood. 
All  the  works  of  great  sculptors,  from  the  days  of 
the  ancient  Greeks  until  our  own  time,  manifest  a 
sense  of  loving  esteem  or  aesthetic  appreciation  for 
the  beauty  of  the  human  form.  Painters  in  all  the 


86  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

cultured  nations,  and  artists  among  the  savage  or 
primitive  people,  have  proved  that  humanity  is 
deeply  interested  in  its  own  wonderful  image.  And 
in  the  poetic  language  of  the  writer  of  the  Book  of 
Genesis  we  read  that  man  was  shaped  in  the  image 
of  the  Creator. 

This  respect  for  the  body  is  the  sane  point  of 
view.  But  another  view  arose  among  men  of  olden 
days,  and  this  was  a  disrespectful  view.  Misguided 
minds  came  to  believe  that  the  body  ought  to  be 
despised  as  something  shameful.  They  knew  that 
certain  physical  or  bodily  desires  if  not  rightly  con- 
trolled and  used  for  their  natural  purposes  bring 
suffering  and  misery.  This  is  perfectly  true.  But 
the  despisers  of  the  body  and  its  functions  con- 
fused use  with  abuse,  and  condemned  the  whole 
scheme  of  nature,  ignorantly  and  obstinately. 

This  asceticism,  carried  to  an  extreme,  actually 
made  men  admire  those  who  abused  the  body  under 
the  conviction  that  virtue  would  result  from  such 
abuse.  There  were  men  who  aroused  respect  by 
gross  uncleanliness.  The  more  filthy  and  half- 
starved  were  their  bodies,  the  more  these  fanatics 
were  admired. 

Asceticism  of  this  kind  was  the  outcome  of  fear 
of  the  appetites  of  the  body.  Now  there  is  no  ques- 
tion that  we  have  physical  longings  that  are  often 
very  powerful  and  threatening  to  our  peace  of  mind. 
These  yearnings  are,  however,  not  evil  in  them- 
selves. They  are  natural  and  necessary  desires. 
Hunger  is  a  natural  daily  sensation.  A  desire  to 


ADOLESCENT  BOYS  87 

love  a  person  of  the  opposite  sex  and  to  be  loved 
in  return  is  also  a  natural  law.  These  longings, 
when  not  directed  by  reason,  may  lead  us  into  sin 
and  bring  terrible  consequences  in  disease  and  un- 
happiness.  It  is  therefore  very  essential  that  we 
should  understand  the  nature  and  the  force  of  our 
appetites  and  how  to  keep  them  within  bounds.  We 
must  learn  also  how  this  force  may  be  employed  for 
our  highest  good  and  the  well-being  of  our  neigh- 
bours. 

The  poetic,  or  idealistic,  view  of  the  body  teaches 
us  respect  for  this  great  masterpiece  of  nature,  and 
our  respect  urges  us  to  cherish  it.  Let  us  say  that 
our  bodies  are  given  to  us  as  a  trust  to  be  used 
rightly.  If  we  have  a  delicate  piece  of  machinery, 
like  a  watch,  or  a  wonderful  instrument,  such  as  a 
microscope,  we  value  it  and  use  it  carefully.  We 
need  hardly  say  that  the  human  body  demands  even 
more  care.  Not  only  in  our  own  interest  is  this 
imperative.  It  is  a  part  of  our  duty  to  society  and 
to  those  who  will  inherit  our  passions,  moral  weak- 
nesses, infirmities  of  body  and  other  tendencies. 
We  have  to  hand  on  this  great  trust  of  Life.  We 
do  not  die  and  become  dust.  The  germ  of  our  life 
goes  on  living  eternally  in  our  race. 

From  the  remote  past  we  have  inherited  prej- 
udices and  repugnances  that  sometimes  strive  with 
our  sense  of  reverence  for  the  body  and  its  func- 
tions. A  deep-rooted  ancient  prejudice  may  have  a 
strong  element  of  sense  in  it,  or  it  may  be  a  de- 
grading superstition  without  any  value  whatever. 


88  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

It  is  fairly  certain  that  we  all  share  a  common  hu- 
man prejudice  against  being  washed  when  we  are 
little  children.  We  have  to  be  taught  that  it  is 
worth  our  while  to  keep  the  skin  clean.  If  any 
tendency  to  disparage  the  body  or  to  ignore  its 
marvels  lingers  till  the  age  when  we  are  approaching 
manhood,  we  should  endeavour  to  counteract  it  by  a 
common-sense  point  of  view.  Common-sense  tells 
everyone  with  any  capacity  for  thinking  that  the 
body  is  wonderfully  made.  If  we  correct,  deepen 
and  improve  ordinary  common-sense  by  scientific 
knowledge  the  body  is  revealed  to  us  as  even  more 
marvellous  than  we  had  imagined. 

The  poetic  estimation  of  the  body  inspires  admira- 
tion for  line  and  form.  There  is  beauty  in  both  the 
male  and  female  human  external  body.  In  the 
working  of  the  organs  within  the  framework  there 
is  a  beautiful  mechanism  that  also  invokes  admira- 
tion. By  an  elaborate  chemistry  our  food  is  con- 
verted into  blood,  bone  and  tissue.  We  grow  from 
a  microscopic  ovule  or  egg,  for  nine  months  before 
birth,  and  this  growth  is  continuous  throughout  life. 
For  even  after  attaining  middle  age  there  is  a  kind 
of  growth  in  the  constant  repair  of  energy  and  tis- 
sue. 

The  telegraphic  system  of  our  nerves  is  awe-in- 
spiring. The  romance  of  sensation  and  motion  is 
deeply  fascinating.  Every  part  of  the  organisation 
has  communication  cords  with  the  brain,  some  of 
them  so  minutely  constructed  that  their  terminations 
cannot  be  seen  even  by  the  aid  of  a  powerful  micro- 


ADOLESCENT  BOYS  89 

scope.  These  highly  electric  nerves  are  the  life  of 
the  body.  They  flash  their  messages  of  joy  or 
pain.  In  health  they  thrill  with  rapture.  Where 
misused,  they  give  warning  by  painful  sensations. 

Think  of  the  magic  and  poetry  of  the  brain !  In 
substance  this  organ  is  apparently  nothing  more 
than  a  mass  of  grey  and  white  matter.  Yet  it  is 
regarded  as  the  acme  of  Nature's  handiwork.  In 
that  pulp,  weighing  about  three  pounds,  are  all  the 
potentialities  that  have  made  Man  the  lord  of  cre- 
ation. Here  are  the  germs  of  the  noblest  virtues, 
the  supremest  arts,  the  highest  imagination.  The 
development  of  this  astounding  organ  in  mankind 
has  been  the  source  of  all  progress  since  the  days 
when  our  ape-like  forerunners,  possessed  of  no 
speech  but  a  few  cries,  and  lacking  implements,  con- 
tended with  fiercer  and  more  powerful  animals. 

In  these  mysterious  convolutions  of  the  brain  is 
the  home  of  the  spirit,  the  soul,  the  psyche,  that  stu- 
pendous energy  which  baffles  understanding  and  has 
bewildered  men's  minds  since  the  dawn  of  specula- 
tive thought.  We  are  peering  into  a  vast  realm  of 
much  that  remains  unknown  when  we  contemplate 
this  grey  matter  within  the  skull.  Aladdin's  en- 
chanted cave  had  no  such  magic  as  is  here  revealed 
to  the  wondering  gaze  of  science. 

For  the  beginning  of  consciousness,  which  is  the 
necessity  of  thinking,  we  must  seek  among  certain 
sensitive  plants  that  respond  to  touch  or  stimula- 
tion. There  is  the  curious  insect-eating  sundew  or 
drosera,  which  feels  the  tiniest  insect  when  it  alights 


90  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

upon  its  trap.  We  pass  on  to  the  lowly  forms  of 
animal  life  and  find  in  the  lancelet,  a  fish-like  crea- 
ture, another  link  in  the  long  process  of  conscious- 
ness and  thought.  This  animal  is  a  kind  of  worm, 
and  is  bred  in  sand-beds  of  the  sea.  It  has  a  rudi- 
mentary brain  and  a  nervous  system.  The  two 
sexes  can  be  distinguished  in  the  lancelet.  We  must 
remember  that  the  higher  we  ascend  in  evolution  the 
more  marked  are  the  sexual  differences. 

The  lancelet  is  an  instance  of  the  transition  to  the 
vertebrate  animals,  which  possess  a  very  complicated 
organism  and  vastly  superior  brains.  In  the  fish  we 
trace  brain  development,  and  upwards  through  the 
quadruped  to  the  man-like  apes,  and  finally  in  Man 
we  have  the  highest  potentiality  of  brain  that  has 
been  evolved. 

The  artist  and  the  poet  show  us  the  beauty  of  the 
body,  and  by  means  of  imagination  and  reality  they 
teach  great  lessons  to  the  mind  as  well  as  delighting 
our  sense  perception  of  loveliness.  For  gaining 
truth  concerning  the  structure  and  functions  of  the 
body  we  must  use  the  scientific  method.  Now 
Physiology,  which  tells  us  the  truth  of  the  body,  and 
Psychology,  which  gives  us  knowledge  of  the  work- 
ing of  the  mind  and  the  sources  of  human  behaviour, 
are  both  young  sciences.  For  a  long  time  facts 
about  the  uses  of  bodily  organs  were  scarcely 
known.  Men  made  guesses  and  often  went  astray. 
When  the  body  was  despised  all  inquiry  into  its 
mechanism  was  discouraged.  The  examination  of 
the  organs  by  the  dissection  of  dead  bodies  was  for- 


ADOLESCENT  BOYS  91 

bidden.  How  could  it  be  possible  to  understand  the 
body  machinery  when  students  were  hindered  from 
learning  anatomy  and  physiology  by  dissection? 

But  courageous  seekers  for  truth,  men  of  science 
and  physicians,  swept  away  the  vague  speculations 
of  the  ignorant,  and  began  to  study  the  human  body 
in  every  part.  There  is  still  very  much  to  discover, 
but  much  has  been  learned.  The  great  Descartes, 
born  in  France  in  1596,  studied  the  human  frame 
with  immense  pains,  Harvey  made  the  important 
discovery  of  the  circulation  of  the  blood,  in  1628, 
which  "  caused  a  general  stupefaction  "  among  the 
guessers  and  the  non-experimental  speculators. 
Many  discoveries  have  enriched  our  knowledge  since 
the  days  of  Harvey,  and  each  fact  that  we  wrest 
from  the  wonderful  book  of  nature  deepens  our 
sense  of  the  sublimity  of  the  human  body  and 
mind. 

i 

LESSON  II. —  THE  GLANDS  AND  THE  EMOTIONS 

A  gland  is  an  organ  of  secretion.  A  secretion 
means  a  severing,  a  separation  or  a  putting  apart. 
Thus  the  stomach  secretes  gastric  juice  for  purposes 
of  digestion;  the  salivary  glands  secrete  the  fluid 
into  the  mouth,  to  aid  mastication,  or  chewing,  and 
the  eyes  are  supplied  with  the  liquid  from  the 
lachrymal  glands. 

Let  us  examine  the  nature  and  the  use  of  the 
typical  glands  that  produce  a  watery  humour,  which, 
in  excess,  we  call  tears.  The  movement  of  the  eye 


92      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

is  aided  by  the  lubricating  fluid  from  the  gland 
above  the  eyeball.  When  we  wink  the  fluid  is 
distributed.  Under  ordinary  conditions  we  are 
scarcely  conscious  of  the  water  in  our  eyes.  But 
certain  feelings  of  pleasure,  wonder  or  pain  make 
us  realise  that  the  eyes  are  being  filled  with  an 
increased  supply  of  liquid. 

Grief  or  anger  brings  tears  to  the  eyes.  The  sight 
of  a  lovely  object  may  have  the  same  effect.  In 
pain  we  try  to  stem  back  the  tears  that  flood  our 
eyes  involuntarily.  In  sorrow  many  find  relief  in 
weeping.  Joy  also  brings  "  tears  of  gladness." 
Sympathy  is  another  stimulant  to  the  tear  glands. 
The  connection  between  states  of  feelings  and  mind 
and  the  glands  that  secrete  tears  is  therefore  a  very 
close  one. 

The  bile  poured  out  from  the  liver  is  apparently 
a  help  to  the  digestive  process.  When  the  flow  is 
excessive  we  experience  the  discomfort  of  the  dis- 
order called  biliousness.  Depression  of  mind  is  as- 
sociated with  bile.  We  speak  of  a  melancholy  per- 
son as  atrabiliary.  The  ancients  traced  sensations 
in  the  liver  to  the  emotion  of  love.  Undoubtedly 
this  gland  is  affected  by  mental  influences,  and  its 
condition  under  certain  stimulations  or  depressions 
acts  upon  the  mind.  We  are  all  familiar  with  the 
remark  that  the  question  whether  life  is  worth  liv- 
ing "  depends  on  the  liver."  A  healthy,  soundly 
working  liver  is  certainly  an  aid  to  contentment  and 
cheerfulness. 

Some  of  the  glands  assist  in  alimentation,  or  the 


ADOLESCENT  BOYS  93 

nourishment  of  the  body,  and  others  plays  a  double 
part  —  e.  g.  in  the  bodily  upkeep,  and  in  generation, 
or  the  passing  on  of  life.  One  of  the  glands  com- 
mon to  all  mammals,  the  animals  that  feed  the  young 
from  the  breast,  is  that  which  secretes  sweat  through 
the  pores  of  the  skin.  It  is  conjectured  that  in  a 
very  early  period  of  man's  evolution  the  mammary 
glands  (lacteal  secreting  organs,  or  female  breasts) 
were  developed  locally  from  the  sweat  glands. 

The  part  played  by  glands  in  reproduction,  or  the 
procreation  of  new  beings  from  the  bodies  of  the 
parents,  is  extremely  complicated  and  highly  im- 
portant. In  the  males  of  animals  and  mankind  sev- 
eral secreting  instruments  are  devoted  to  the  task  of 
carrying  on  the  undying  flame  of  life.  The  real  use 
and  functioning  of  some  of  the  internal  glands  as- 
sociated with  the  procreative  activity  are  not  yet 
clearly  comprehended.  We  know,  however,  that  the 
mental  and  physical  interaction  of  both  the  internal 
and  external  glands  is.  very  powerful. 

The  seed  of  the  male  is  known  by  its  Latin  name 
semen.  It  is  produced  in  the  testes  or  testicles. 
These  life-giving  and  precious  organs  are  found  in 
all  the  mammalia.  They  are  oval  in  form,  and 
glandular,  and  they  are  protected  by  a  thick  bag, 
the  scrotum.  The  seminal  vessels  are  attached  to 
the  testes.  Some  physiologists  are  uncertain 
whether  these  are  glands  of  secretion  or  simply 
reservoirs  for  the  semen.  Within  the  minute  tubes 
of  the  testicles,  which  are  said  to  measure  a  total  of 
over  4000  feet,  are  the  life-giving  germs,  sperm  or 


94  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

seeds.     These  can  only  be  seen  through  powerful 
microscopes. 

The  connection  between  this  reproductive  part  of 
the  body  and  the  seat  of  reason,  the  brain,  is  re- 
markably close.  Some  thoughts  of  the  brain  flash 
messages  to  the  organs  of  sex,  and  during  certain 
states  of  the  organs  messages  are  sent  to  the  brain. 
There  is  therefore  a  remarkable  mutually  dependent 
relation  between  these  glands  and  the  brain. 

From  the  ages  of  fourteen  to  sixteen  some  im- 
portant changes  occur  in  the  testicular  glands  as 
well  as  in  other  parts  of  the  body.  Before  that 
period  of  early  manly  development  the  glands  con- 
tain cells  wrhich  will  ultimately  divide  and  increase 
and  become  spermatozoa.  These  are  the  finished 
products  of  the  life-giving  element,  and  they  swim 
in  a  fluid  secreted  by  sundry  glands. 

The  glands  of  the  testicles  are  influenced  by 
thought,  by  the  simple  forming  of  the  semen  and  its 
accumulation  in  the  tubes,  and  by  excitations  of  va- 
rious kinds  deliberately  performed.  This  fact  is  of 
extreme  importance  to  growing  youths  and  to  full- 
grown  men.  The  spontaneous  feelings,  that  many 
boys  experience  at  the  age  of  fifteen  or  sixteen,  and 
sometimes  earlier,  are  often  quite  beyond  control  of 
the  mind.  They  arise  in  the  generative  organs,  not 
in  the  mind,  but  the  sensations  are  carried  by  the 
nerves  to  the  brain.  Most  often  a  thought  in  the 
brain  conveys  the  message  to  the  life-giving  organs. 

Now  the  less  thought  given  to  the  sexual  organs 
during  the  time  of  growth  in  childhood  and  youth 


ADOLESCENT  BOYS  95 

(adolescence)  the  better  for  the  health  of  body  and 
mind,  and  for  the  ensuring  of  a  vigorous  manhood 
and  happiness  in  life.  This  does  not  mean  that  we 
must  be  careless  in  the  matter  of  washing  the  ex- 
ternal parts,  and  attending  to  the  expulsion  of  urine. 
It  means  that  thought  should  not  be  idly  directed,  or 
without  real  necessity,  upon  organs  of  the  body 
which  have  not  fully  developed  and  are  not  yet  ready 
for  the  great  and  solemn  racial  use. 

Every  young  man  should  know  that  the  testicles 
do  not  only  produce  the  germ  of  another  human 
being,  but  that  there  is  a  substance  in  their  secretion 
which  affects  the  growth  of  bone  and  flesh.  The 
semen  is  also  required  for  the  development  of  the 
brain.  This  is  the  vital  force  necessary  for  both 
mind  and  body.  A  waste  of  this  fluid  causes  a  dull 
mind  and  a  languid  body.  Its  right  preservation 
assists  in  the  acquirement  of  knowledge  through 
study,  and  gives  muscular  strength  and  nervous  stay- 
ing power. 

Care  for  the  glands  is  imperative,  and  this  care 
involves  constant  self-control  in  youth.  The  life 
force  must  not  be  frittered  away  while  the  body  is 
shaping  into  manliness.  If  the  spontaneous  invol- 
untary sensations  arise,  there  is  a  remedy.  Immedi- 
ately substitute  another  feeling.  This  can  be  done 
by  physical  or  mental  activity.  The  Spartan  ath- 
letes mastered  their  emotions,  and  so  may  you. 
Join  in  all  the  games  and  sports  that  promote  vigour, 
use  the  energy  and  absorb  the  superabundant  vital- 
ity. Avoid  solitude,  brooding  and  moping,  and  cul- 


96  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

tivate  hobbies  that  engross  the  thought  and  make 
life  interesting  day  by  day. 

The  glands  of  the  sexual  or  genital  system  are 
linked  up  so  closely  with  the  brain  that  we  have  here 
an  illustration  of  the  saying:  "  The  whole  man 
thinks."  It  must  not  be  supposed  that  these  glandu- 
lar secretions  serve  only  the  purpose  of  reproduc- 
tion. They  are  essential  for  the  'maintenance  of 
virility  of  body  and  force  of  will  and  mind.  More- 
over, these  fluids  may  be  regarded  as  stimulants  to 
moral  conduct.  Without  them  some  of  our  strong- 
est and  finest  aspirations  would  be  lacking.  This 
is  proved  by  the  fact  that  the  removal  of  the  testes 
causes  not  only  marked  physical  changes,  but  has  a 
deteriorating  influence  upon  the  character,  the  out- 
look on  life  and  morality.  It  is  plain,  therefore, 
that  the  seed  is  veritably  the  life  of  the  individual 
as  well  as  of  the  whole  race. 

LESSON  III. —  THE  APPROACH  TO  MANHOOD 

The  period  of  the  passing  from  childhood  to  the 
adult  or  manly  age  is  called  Puberty.  This  word 
signifies  hair-growth.  In  botany  we  speak  of : 
"  pubic  down  "  on  plants.  Pubescence,  or  Puberty, 
denotes  primarily  the  appearance  of  hair  on  the 
face  and  other  parts  of  the  male  body;  but  it  im- 
plies much  more  of  a  physiological  (bodily)  and 
psychic  (mental  and  spiritual)  character.  It  is  the 
climax  when  the  soul  of  man  begins  to  awaken. 
New  thoughts,  dreams  and  longings  arise  in  the 


ADOLESCENT  BOYS  97 

brain.  The  boy  often  begins  to  think  seriously 
about  religion,  right  and  wrong,  and  questions  of 
honour,  duty  and  loyalty.  There  is  a  yearning  for 
the  unknown,  a  reaching-out  for  experience,  a  sense 
of  restlessness.  Work  and  sports  divert  attention 
from  these  states  of  mind,  but  sometimes  there  is 
an  unaccountable  uneasiness,  or  a  restless  feeling, 
or  the  mind  may  be  clouded  with  sad  or  gloomy 
thoughts. 

These  feelings,  or  emotions,  are  due  to  chemical 
changes  that  are  occurring  in  the  body.  In  the  last 
lesson  we  learned  something  about  the  glands.  It 
is  at  puberty  that  new  secretions  accumulate  in  the 
vessels,  and  some  of  these  enter  the  blood,  pass 
through  the  brain  and  cause  novel  ideas  and  sensa- 
tions. 

The  body  begins  to  grow  more  rapidly  at  this 
period.  The  larynx  of  the  throat  enlarges,  and  the 
voice  of  a  boy  first  "  breaks,"  and  then  develops  a 
manly,  deeper  tone.  Signs  of  a  moustache  appear 
on  the  upper  lip.  Hair  begins  to  show  on  the  limbs, 
under  the  armpits,  and  on  the  pubic  region  at  the 
base  of  the  abdomen. 

These  new  developments  are  extremely  important. 
They  mark  a  crisis  in  human  life.  The  ideas  that 
arise  may  influence  the  whole  career.  There  is  an 
increased  interest  in  the  opposite  sex,  and  often  af- 
fection develops  towards  a  girl.  This  is  quite  nat- 
ural, and  should  lead  to  healthy  companionship  and 
friendship.  If  the  feeling  is  deep,  it  is  mingled  with 
respect  and  a  desire  to  protect,  help  and  sympathise 


98  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

with  the  loved  person.  Such  friendships  sometimes 
merge  into  love  between  young  people  under  the  age 
of  twenty.  But  this  should  be  only  a  probationary 
period,  for  both  the  boy  and  the  girl  are  still  un- 
developed and  inexperienced. 

The  inward,  or  apparently  uncaused,  emotions 
and  sensations  at  this  age  often  perplex  youths. 
They  note  changes  in  the  life-giving  organs  which 
appear  strange  and  bewildering.  These  changes 
mark  the  beginning  of  the  human  power  for  passing 
on  life.  The  eternal  life  germ  is  beginning  to  form 
and  to  make  its  presence  felt  within  the  body. 
Dreams  may  occur  in  sleep,  and  some  of  the  vital 
fluid  may  issue  involuntarily.  This  occurrence 
often  distresses  boys  during  puberty.  They  do  not 
understand  that  this  is  automatic  and  not  uncom- 
mon among  males.  Some  are  alarmed  and  others 
ashamed  at  this  manifestation.  It  should  be  under- 
stood that  in  some  cases  the  seminal  vessels  overflow 
during  the  sleep,  and  that  this  happens  spontane- 
ously, like  the  act  of  sneezing. 

The  answer  to  the  question  whether  this  auto- 
matic expulsion  of  the  seed  is  harmful  must  be  very 
carefully  considered.  If  the  nightly  emissions  are 
very  frequent  it  is  a  sign  of  great  excitability  of  the 
organs,  and  the  waste  of  valuable  substance  becomes 
a  serious  matter.  This  incident  is  not  necessarily 
an  indication  that  the  boy  is  impure,  or  that  he  is 
addicted  to  improper  handling  of  the  parts.  But 
these  emissions  during  sleep  are  undoubtedly  in- 
creased in  frequency  by  letting  the  mind  dwell  on 


ADOLESCENT  BOYS  99 

desires  that  arise  in  the  daytime,  and  by  the  habit  of 
masturbation,  sometimes  called  "  self-abuse."  On 
the  other  hand,  there  is  no  doubt  that  these  occa- 
sional losses  happen  in  the  case  of  men  who  live  per- 
fectly chaste  lives. 

Many  scientific  physiologists  and  doctors  of  our 
day  have  reached  the  opinion  after  much  inquiry 
that  under  certain  conditions  this  occurrence  is  not 
unnatural.  Some  vigorous  men  store  up  more 
semen  than  is  actually  required  for  the  chemistry  of 
the  body,  and  the  surplus  is  expelled  during  sleep. 
It  has  been  said  that  this  phenomenon  is  "  nature's 
safety  valve."  There  is  no  need,  therefore,  that  a 
young  man  should  resort  to  any  other  means  of  re- 
lief when  nature  has  provided  this  spontaneous  dis- 
charge. 

That  these  losses  may  become  injurious  is  cer- 
tain. They  may  be  few  and  normal,  or  they  may  be 
excessive  and  morbid.  In  the  last  case  there  is  un- 
doubted injury  to  the  system.  Young  men  must 
guard  against  any  thought,  desire  or  action  that  is 
likely  to  cause  loss  of  semen  either  by  day  or  night. 
It  is  quite  possible  that  if  we  all  lived  perfectly  nat- 
ural and  healthy  lives  during  youth  this  involuntary 
discharge  might  never  occur.  There  is  no  doubt 
that  it  is  frequently  induced  by  allowing  the  thoughts 
to  dwell  upon  sexual  feeling.  In  the  period  of 
puberty  these  thoughts  should  be  diverted  as  quickly 
as  they  arise.  Every  effort  of  control  strengthens 
the  will  and  makes  control  easier.  The  mind  should 
be  absorbed  with  many  interests  as  a  counteractive 


ioo      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

to  the  spontaneous  sensations  which  few  of  us  can 
entirely  avoid  at  all  times. 


LESSON  IV. —  DISCIPLINE  OF  THE  APPETITES 

Appetite  is  the  desire  for  satisfying  a  natural  or 
artificial  want  of  the  body.  The  natural  appetites 
in  childhood  are  for  food  and  drink,  sleep,  work, 
play  and  rest.  Artificial  appetites  are  acquired,  and 
these  desires  are  frequently  very  strong,  such  as  the 
craving  for  alcohol,  tobacco,  opium,  tea  and  other 
drugs  and  stimulants.  All  appetite  requires  con- 
trol. Children  have  to  be  taught  what  food  is  best 
for  the  body,  and  when  it  should  be  eaten.  There 
is  always  a  tendency  in  human  beings  to  undue  in- 
dulgence of  appetite. 

Eating  for  the  sake  of  pleasure  and  beyond  the 
demands  of  the  body  may  easily  become  a  constant 
habit.  Such  excess  is  a  waste,  and  a  cause  of  sev- 
eral diseases.  The  glutton  is  disordered  and  often 
very  corpulent,  and  his  chances  of  a  long  life  and  a 
sound  old  age  are  much  smaller  than  the  moderate 
eater's  chances.  Even  the  desire  for  occupation 
may  become  exaggerated.  There  are  people  who 
do  not  rest  and  play  enough.  Others  are  inert  and 
disinclined  to  take  exercise. 

At  the  approach  to  manhood  a  new  desire  usually 
awakens.  This  is  the  life  energy,  the  vital  impulse, 
the  driving  power  of  all  humanity.  It  is  associated 
with  ambition  to  succeed  in  the  world,  to  acquire 


ADOLESCENT  BOYS  101 

learning  and  to  excel  in  the  arts  or  industries.  This 
is  the  racial  force,  the  second  great  fundamental  in- 
stinct. It  is  also  a  very  noble  emotion,  capable  of 
direction  to  the  worthiest  ends.  The  love  of  man 
for  woman  and  of  woman  for  man  is  the  founda- 
tion of  society.  This  sentiment  inspires  self-sacri- 
ficing conduct  in  the  mutual  aid  of  the  two  sexes. 
It  is  the  source  of  home  or  family  life,  the  love  of 
children,  and  sympathy  for  one's  fellow-men. 

Love  is  of  the  spirit,  or  mind,  and  of  the  body. 
It  is  therefore  composed  of  spiritual  as  well  as 
physical  desires,  and  these  desires  are  intermingled 
in  all  the  finest  instances  of  married  love.  It  is  very 
essential  for  personal  happiness,  the  well-being  of 
the  children  who  will  be  born  to  us  and  the  good  of 
the  whole  community  that  we  shall  not  allow  the 
physical  impulse  to  overmaster  the  spiritual  feeling. 
We  have  to  strive  against  becoming  the  slaves  of  our 
passions.  This  is  the  chief  discipline  of  life.  For 
some  persons  it  is  a  severe  battle. 

Now  it  should  be  known  that  nature  is  so  anxious 
for  the  continuance  and  increase  of  the  species  or 
race  that  the  love  force  begins  to  develop  and  to 
come  into  consciousness  some  years  before  marriage 
is  possible.  The  instinct  of  love  may  assert  itself 
long  before  the  age  when  a  young  man  is  fit  for  the 
great  responsibility  of  fatherhood.  This  gives  rise 
to  conflicts  between  the  sense  of  right  and  wrong 
and  the  spontaneously  awakening  emotion  or  sensa- 
tion. Religion,  morality,  the  social  rules,  and 


.  102      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

health  indicate  an  austere  repression  of  the  physical 
appetite  which  often  appears  suddenly  and  unex- 
pectedly. 

This  developing  appetite  should  not  be  stimulated 
in  youth.  It  must  be  clearly  recognised  and  under- 
stood ;  but  the  force  must  be  held  in  reserve,  and  re- 
pressed or  sublimated  till  it  may  be  used  legitimately. 
There  is  a  fine  and  an  ideal  estimate  of  the  racial 
energy,  and  there  is  a  debased  and  evil  point  of 
view.  Social  life  is  only  possible  when  men  and 
women  have  ideals  of  honour,  unselfishness  and 
kindness.  There  should  be  idealism  in  our  esteem 
for  all  the  spiritual  and  physical  components  of  the 
love  of  the  sexes.  We  cannot  separate  the  two 
elements ;  they  are  indivisible.  But  we  can  preserve 
a  healthy  balance  of  the  two  forces.  It  should  be 
known  that  the  sexual  impulse  can  be  sublimated  or 
transferred.  If  this  impulse  is  not  properly  con- 
trolled it  may  cause  the  deepest  misery  to  ourselves 
and  to  those  whom  we  love.  Rightly  directed,  this 
impulse  may  aid  us  in  the  highest  and  noblest 
achievements. 

This  vital  energy  is  designed  for  creative  pur- 
poses and  should  not  be  squandered  viciously  and 
idly.  Until  such  time  in  manhood  when  circum- 
stance permits  marriage,  the  young  man  can  make  a 
sublimated  use  of  the  force.  Remember  that  the 
energy  has  not  only  one  purpose,  but  many.  In  the 
lesson  upon  the  glands  we  learned  that  the  eternal 
life  germ  or  seed  is  used  in  the  chemistry  of  the 
body  and  is  absolutely  necessary  for  this  function 


ADOLESCENT  BOYS  103 

as  well  as  for  generating  life.  Sex  energy  is  also 
essential  for  the  formation  of  character,  the  work  of 
the  brain  and  the  development  of  moral  feeling  as 
well  as  for  impelling  men  and  women  to  mate  and 
continue  the  race. 

Every  great  philanthropist  is  an  instance  of  the 
sublimation  of  the  sexual  instinct.  Great  creations 
of  art  spring  from  the  same  root  as  the  impulse  of 
love.  The  virile  man  uses  his  virility  in  many  ways 
besides  reproduction.  A  man  of  strong  passions 
puts  a  curb  on  his  appetite,  and  turns  his  energy  to 
an  absorbing  occupation,  business  diligence,  political 
activity,  or  works  of  chanty  and  social  ameliora- 
tion. 

The  volcanic  energy  implanted  by  nature  in  vig- 
orous men  and  women  may  prove  a  supreme  bless- 
ing to  the  individual  and  his  neighbours,  or  it  may, 
through  misdirection,  curse  a  man  and  react  dis- 
astrously upon  society.  St.  Francis,  who  possessed 
this  vital  power  in  abundance,  refrained  from  all 
conduct  likely  to  impair  it,  and  devoted  his  love 
force  to  deeds  of  kindness  among  the  poor,  the  af- 
flicted and  the  stricken.  Strong  passions  are  the 
driving  power  of  humanity.  We  must  hold  them 
in  control,  as  the  engine-driver  controls  his  engine, 
and  make  them  serve  us  and  others.  Byron  was  a 
man  of  a  remarkable  vital  force  which  he  frequently 
failed  to  sublimate.  There  are  episodes  of  failure 
in  the  life  of  this  impulsive  genius.  On  the  other 
hand,  there  was  effort  towards  sublimation  of  the 
racial  energy,  as  shown  by  Byron's  devotion  to  the 


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cause  of  oppressed  humanity,  his  tendance  upon  the 
sick  and  wounded,  and  his  enthusiasm  for  his  art. 

One  man  sinks  into  gross  debauchery  through 
failure  to  divert  and  transfer  this  libido,  desire  or 
profound  wish.  Another  conquers  his  yearnings  by 
making  his  life  force  the  means  to  success  in  science, 
art,  literature  or  industry.  We  may  be  sure  that 
the  eminent  in  every  sphere  of  activity  possess  a 
high  degree  of  the  energy  that  continues  the  race. 
But  they  have  learned  the  art  of  sublimating  this 
force  and  transferring  it  to  other  aims  than  the 
sexual.  This  creative  power  is  not  entirely  absorbed 
by  the  task  of  reproduction.  A  great  surplus  re- 
mains for  other  creative  purposes.  If  this  force  is 
used  up  by  sensual  gratification  alone,  there  is  a 
loss  of  true  virility,  wastage  of  a  power  that  ensures 
health  of  body  and  mind,  and  destruction  of  the 
will  force  that  is  indispensable  for  the  conduct  of  a 
happy  and  successful  life. 

We  must  regard  the  sublimation  of  the  physical 
impulse  of  sex  as  we  do  training  for  athletics.  The 
great  race  of  life  requires  stern  discipline  of  the 
passions.  This  training  or  discipline  is  beneficial 
for  the  brain  and  body,  and  brings  its  reward  in 
health,  peace  of  mind  and  intellectual  power.  We 
must  understand  what  is  the  use,  disuse  and  abuse 
of  this  power.  The  right  use  is  strict  preservation 
of  the  force  in  youth  and  its  lawful  and  natural 
employment  'in  marriage.  Disuse  is  contrary  to 
natural  law.  The  ascetic  who  tries  to  suppress  this 


ADOLESCENT  BOYS  105 

power  entirely  and  for  the  whole  of  life  may  lose 
power,  or  the  sex  force  may  burst  its  bounds  and 
become  a  fierce  flood.  Abuse  threatens  virile  energy 
and  may  give  rise  to  serious  diseases  of  body  and 
mind.  In  any  case,  abuse  is  sure  to  bring  unhappi- 
ness,  disappointment  and  regret. 


LESSON  V. —  THE  LOVE  OF  THE  SEXES 

The  admiration,  affection  and  respect  which  men 
and  women  show  for  each  other  has  been  called  Ro- 
mantic Love,  to  distinguish  it  from  the  simpler  pair- 
ing instinct  of  the  animals  or  the  mere  sensuality 
of  uncultured  human  beings.  In  true  love  we  seek 
the  good  of  the  other  person  besides  our  own  happi- 
ness. Passion  may  be  a  wholly  selfish  emotion,  or 
it  may  be  the  source  of  the  finest  virtue.  Men  and 
women  have  often  feared  love  because  it  is  apt  to 
become  overmastering  and  a  menace  to  peace  and 
happiness.  Nevertheless,  the  world  would  be  devoid 
of  beauty  if  love  did  not  exist,  and  the  greatest 
thinkers  have  recognised  the  mortal  potency  of  this 
profound  spiritual  emotion. 

Love  should  be  regarded  as  the  most  precious  and 
holy  thing  in  life.  It  is  undoubtedly  the  chief  in- 
spiration of  humanity.  All  of  our  highest  activities 
are  associated  with  love.  Real  love  is  beyond  price. 
It  is  one  of  the  few  privileges  that  even  the  richest 
cannot  purchase.  The  sympathetic  companionship 
of  man  and  woman  unites  them  in  the  closest  of  all 


106      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

bonds  or  intimacies,  fosters  the  best  and  the  highest 
in  each  sex,  and  provides  the  greatest  solace  for  the 
trials  and  difficulties  of  life. 

If  we  fail  to  honour  and  cherish  the  love  impulse 
in  youth  we  encounter  a  formidable  danger. 
Through  disrespect  for  love  we  may  lose  all  the 
happiness  that  love  can  yield.  This  splendid  inspi- 
ration is  frequently  impaired  by  an  imperfect  appre- 
hension of  its  vast  importance,  by  idle  love-making 
or  flirting,  by  lack  of  respect  between  the  sexes,  and 
by  ugly  vices  that  destroy  the  capacity  for  a  genuine 
love. 

Sometimes  love  becomes  a  real  and  vehement  emo- 
tion in  the  heart  and  whole  being  of  a  young  man. 
It  may  arise  quite  suddenly.  When  this  sentiment 
seems  overwhelming  there  should  be  no  timorous 
recoil,  but  a  frank  acceptation  of  the  fact  that  Na- 
ture is  leading  us  in  the  way  that  she  intends  us  to 
follow.  It  may  be  that  worldly  considerations,  such 
as  poverty,  prevent  the  young  man  and  the  maiden 
from  marrying.  They  may  be  too  young  for  the 
responsibilities  of  the  conjugal  life.  In  this  case 
they  must  remain  as  plighted  lovers,  possibly  for  a 
year  or  two.  Let  each  resolve  to  be  constant, 
staunch  in  friendship  and  helpful. 

Naturally  a  young  man  in  love  wishes  the  happi- 
ness of  the  loved  one.  It  is  during  the  probation 
for  marriage  that  he  can  prepare  himself  for  the 
duties  of  a  husband  and  father.  He  will  not  wish 
to  risk  the  happiness  of  his  future  partner  and  him- 
self by  follies  and  errors.  He  should  be  faithful 


ADOLESCENT  BOYS  107 

to  the  maiden  who  will  become  his  wife.  Men  exact 
a  strict  virtue  from  the  woman  they  seek  as  a  lover. 
Should  we  not  strive  for  the  fine  ideal  of  Walt  Whit- 
man, "  the  chastity  of  paternity  to  match  the  chas- 
tity of  maternity  "  ?  Remember  that  one  foolish  or 
evil  action  that  threatens  chastity  may  poison  the 
whole  of  a  man's  future  life.  One  hour  of  folly 
has  often  proved  disastrous.  Restraint  is  a  manly 
virtue,  and  ill  control  is  a  sign  of  feebleness.  Let 
a  young  man  in  love  resolve  that  he  will  practise 
rigid  self-denials  and  he  will  find  his  reward  in  mar- 
ried happiness,  in  the  esteem  and  affection  of  his 
wife,  and  in  the  vigour  and  comeliness  of  his  chil- 
dren. 

It  is  useless  to  pretend  that  the  years  of  denial 
and  discipline  preceding  marriage  are  not  often  an 
ordeal  to  a  virile  man  and  an  ardent  lover.  We  all 
have  to  pass  through  the  fires  of  temptation.  Inner 
feelings  may  arouse  longings,  or  they  may  be  sug- 
gested by  influences  in  daily  life.  Do  not  suppose 
that  a  natural  wish  is  impure  in  itself.  The  noblest 
of  men  have  been  tempted.  But  the  u'hole  mean* 
ing  of  chastity  is  conservation  of  a  great  power  for 
its  future  rightful  use.  You  cannot  utterly  annihi- 
late the  desires.  Nature  has  not  intended  that  you 
should  attempt  complete  suppression.  Preservation 
is,  however,  a  very  necessary  process  in  the  growth 
from  childhood  to  manhood.  We  have  to  learn  the 
art  of  sublimating  desires  that  we  cannot  rightfully 
gratify.  This  is  th-e  very  first  principle  of  living 
socially. 


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Despair  for  want  of  control  may  assail  with  sharp 
torture  of  the  soul.  This  remorse  has  terribly  de- 
pressed many  minds  and  gravely  injured  some. 
There-  is  no  "  hopeless  sinner "  among  the  sane- 
minded.  There  is  always  hope  for  reform  in  those 
who  desire  to  reform.  Sin  should  bring  contrition ; 
but  if  we  sink  into  dark  despondency  and  doubt  our 
powers  of  control,  we  have  lost  that  quality  that 
soldiers  call  morale.  We  must  never  allow  our- 
selves to  be  submerged  in  despair.  A  failure  must 
be  atoned  for  by  a  mightier  effort  of  restraint. 

This  fight  may  be  made  endurable  by  constant 
diversion  of  the  mind  from  unsought  whispers  and 
promptings.  Control  becomes  less  arduous  with 
each  endeavour.  We  may  say  that  the  muscles  of 
the  will,  like  those  of  the  body,  get  toughened  with 
exercise.  An  endeavour  at  first  painful  may  be- 
come even  pleasurable  after  long  exercise.  For  di- 
verting the  mind  there  are  many  means,  and  all  of 
them  may  be  rendered  enjoyable.  An  engrossing 
study,  an  absorbing  hobby,  any  interest  sufficiently 
keen  assists  in  the  task  of  sublimation.  Moody  re- 
flection in  loneliness  or  morbid  dejection  do  not  help, 
but  hinder,  in  the  combat. 

Sexual  love  will  undoubtedly  become  more  ideal- 
ised as  we  move  upwards  from  our  animal  ancestry. 
Even  in  the  birds  we  find  a  tendency  towards  ideal- 
isation, as  shown  by  the  affection,  devotion,  bravery 
and  constancy  of  the  pairs  of  many  species.  Love, 
according  to  Herbert  Spencer,  may  be  analysed  into 
nine  elements:  (i)  the  physical  impulse  of  sex; 


ADOLESCENT  BOYS  109 

(2)  the  feeling  for  beauty;  (3)  affection;  (4)  ad- 
miration and  respect;  (5)  love  of  approbation;  (6) 
self-esteem;  (7)  proprietary  feeling;  (8)  extended 
liberty  of  action  from  the  absence  of  personal  bar- 
riers; (9)  exaltation  of  the  sympathies.  Thus  is  a 
primitive  passion  fused  "  into  one  immense  aggre- 
gate." 

It  has  needed  millions  of  years  to  develop  the  in- 
stinct of  lowly  animals  for  mating  into  the  exalted 
love  of  a  Browning  or  a  Kingsley.  There  is  still  a 
vast  host  of  men  and  women  who  rise  very  slightly 
above 'the  animal  plane  of  sex  love.  But  all  evolu- 
tion shows  a  constant  upward  movement,  a  sublima- 
tion and  spiritualisation  of  a  profound  emotion 
dimly  foreshadowed  aeons  ago  in  the  first  crude  liv- 
ing things  that  inhabited  the  earth. 

We  may  rest  assured,  then,  that  Human  Love 
will  expand  and  assume  greater  power  and  splen- 
dour as  man  climbs  the  long  adventurous  ascent  to 
the  peaks.  And  it  is  within  our  power,  each  of  us 
in  our  brief  day,  to  aid  by  example  and  practice  the 
efficiency  of  the  greatest  moral  reforming  force  in 
life.  Every  loyal  lover,  solicitous  husband  and 
sympathetic  parent  is  a  power  for  good  and  beauty 
and  joy. 

LESSON  VI. —  MARRIAGE 

Both  the  poet  and  the  man  of  science  appreciate 
the  great  truth  that  "  nothing  in  this  world  is  single." 
Mankind  springs  from  the  mysterious  mingling  of 


no  A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

the  male  and  female  life  elements.  Love  urges  to 
union  or  conjugation;  ardent,  tender  lovers  unite  in 
the  conjugal  partnership  and  from  them  are  shaped 
the  new  generation.  The  creative  rays  of  the  sun 
warm  the  earth.  There  is  a  marriage  and  life  ap- 
pears in  the  swamp.  The  breeze  blows  the  fertilis- 
ing male  seed  to  the  female  plant  and  there  is  the 
fusion  of  two  potent  elements  resulting  in  life.  In 
spring  love  and  the  yearning  for  mating  stir  in  the 
nerves  and  brains  of  beast  and  bird,  and  the  voice 
of  Eros  rings  over  forest  and  fell. 

Marriage  is  the  most  important  affair  in  human 
life.  It  concerns  the  race,  the  nation,  the  group  and 
the  family.  A  wedding  is  an  epoch  of  eternal  sig- 
nificance. From  the  two  who  are  made  as  one  may 
spring  the  finest  flowers  of  humanity  or  a  posterity 
of  feeble  weeds.  No  marriage  with  a  normal  result 
of  offspring  can  be  regarded  as  the  purely  private 
affair  of  two  persons.  It  is  a  matter  that  concerns 
the  State.  The  two  are  pledged  to  give  new  citizens 
to  the  community. 

The  two  sexual  natures  are  symbolised  in  the  two 
germs  of  life.  The  male  fertilising  element  is  in- 
tensely active  when  seen  under  the  microscope,  while 
the  female  ovule  or  diminutive  egg  is  almost  passive. 
Here  the  two  roles,  male  and  female,  are  presented 
in  the  plasm.  The  man  seeks  and  the  woman  is 
sought  in  love.  Man  is  naturally  the  hunter,  the 
warrior,  and  the  protector  of  the  brood.  Woman 
is  more  peaceful  in  her  pursuits,  and  to  her  we  owe 
primitive  inventions,  the  domestication  of  animals 


ADOLESCENT  BOYS  in 

and  probably  the  cultivation  of  the  soil.  Almost  all 
her  life  she  is  giving  her  energy  to  the  race,  for 
preparation  for  maternity  begins  in  girlhood,  and 
the  parental  function  may  be,  in  some  cases,  fulfilled 
until  after  the  age  of  fifty. 

Fatherhood  is  man's  duty  in  married  life.  His 
offspring  inherit  his  traits,  mental  predisposition,  the 
shape  of  the  features,  colour  of  hair  and  of  eyes, 
and  tendency  to  virtue  or  vice.  In  the  microscopic 
spermatozoon  are  the  bodily  and  psychic  (or  spirit- 
ual) qualities  which  blend  with  the  characters  in  the 
ovule  of  the  woman.  If  the  husband  is  consump- 
tive, the  tendency  to  this  disease  may  be  passed  on. 
If  he  has  led  an  irregular  sexual  life  before  marriage, 
poison  of  a  distinctive  kind  may  lurk  in  his  glands 
and  be  transmitted  to  both  mother  and  child.  It  is 
plain,  therefore,  that  it  behoves  a  man  to  preserve 
vigour  and  health,  and  to  keep  his  blood  pure  in  the 
days  of  his  youth.  If  poisons  mingle  with  his  blood 
stream,  he  may  hand  on  a  terrible  heritage  of  suffer- 
ing. His  child  may  be  blind,  insane,  feeble  in  body 
and  intellect,  unfitted  for  the  struggle  of  existence. 

There  is  a  positive  end  in  the  maintenance  of  chas- 
tity in  the  celibate  life  of  youth.  This  is  a  hygienic 
as  well  as  a  moral  question.  The  aim  should  be  the 
conservation  of  vital  force  for  the  function  of  par- 
entage. Most  physicians  agree  that  absolute  conti- 
nence should  be  the  rule  in  the  years  of  adolescent 
growth.  Complete  abstinence  may  be  comparatively 
easy  to  some  temperaments,  but  for  others  it  may 
involve  stern  effort  of  control.  A  brief  period  of 


ii2      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

storm  in  youth  may  be  followed  by  tranquillity  of 
the  desires.  But  indulgence  makes  the  trial  harder 
to  endure. 

This  preparation  for  marriage  will  therefore  de- 
mand strength,  will,  and  determination.  Among 
primitive  people  in  many  parts  of  the  world  there 
is  a  definite  system  of  training  for  wedded  life. 
Boys  of  fifteen  are  secluded  from  the  tribe  and  put 
through  a  very  severe  ordeal,  to  test  their  manliness 
and  fortitude.  They  have  to  undergo  rigorous  pen- 
ances. Their  bodies  are  gashed  with  knives.  Oper- 
ations are  performed  upon  them,  and  the  youth  who 
winces  is  suspected  of  cowardice  and  feebleness. 
This  discipline  lasts  for  weeks  or  even  longer.  It 
is  a  test  of  pluck  and  endurance. 

No  such  physical  initiation  is  imposed  upon  the 
civilised  youth.  But  he  has  his  specific  discipline. 
He  may  have  to  live  a  celibate  life  for  many  years. 
It  would  be  better  if  all  young  men  were  able  to 
marry  at  twenty-five.  There  are,  however,  many 
hindrances  at  present  to  early  marriage,  and  we  have 
to  reckon  with  this  fact.  The  young  man  of  sound 
physique  and  normal  emotions  must  school  himself 
in  fortitude  and  patience.  The  journey  may  be  en- 
compassed by  many  difficulties,  but  his  gaze  should 
be  fixed  on  the  goal  of  an  honourable  and  happy 
marriage. 

Both  the  spiritual  and  the  physical  forces  that 
blend  in  the  making  of  True  Love  must  be  kept  in- 
tact in  youth.  Respect  for  woman,  for  motherhood 
and  its  pains  and  sacrifices,  regard  for  one's  own 


ADOLESCENT  BOYS  113 

body  and  mind,  aid  in  the  battle  for  restraint.  A 
young  man  should  reflect  that  any  act  which  scathes 
his  mind  or  impairs  his  racial  organs  is  an  act  of 
fraud  towards  his  future  wife. 

The  union  of  man  and  woman  is  intrinsically 
beautiful.  This  magnetic  marvellous  attraction  of 
the  two  elements  of  the  life  force  is  the  very  source 
of  poetry.  Marriage  is  the  greatest  crisis  in  adult 
life.  Yet  comparatively  few  people  realise  the  tre- 
mendous import  of  wedlock.  Many  think  that  mak- 
ing money  is  more  important  for  the  individual  and 
society. 

Nature's  prime  object  in  drawing  men  and  women 
together  is  the  continuance  of  the  species.  But  in 
saying  this  we  have  not  announced  more  than  a  large 
part  of  the  import  of  love  unions.  This  companion- 
ship of  the  sexes  makes  life  social.  A  married  pair, 
settling  in  the  backwoods,  form  a  hub  or  centre  of 
society.  They  produce  children  who  will  inherit  the 
land  from  the  parents.  Other  couples  are  attracted 
to  the  place  by  the  first  settlers  and  a  group  is 
formed.  Hence  arises  the  colony,  the  large  com- 
munity and  the  nation.  Marriage  necessitates  in- 
dustry, and  some  of  the  colonisers  abandon  agri- 
culture for  commerce,  and  towns  spring  up  and  rail- 
ways are  made.  Love  is  therefore  an  enormous  in- 
centive to  labour. 

The  comradeship  of  marriage  is  essential  for  civil- 
isation. Man  needs  the  aid  of  woman,  and  woman 
requires  the  help  and  protection  of  man.  There  is 
a  community  of  interests,  a  play  of  the  male  and 


H4   A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

female  individualities,  a  completion  of  the  male  na- 
ture and  a  completion  of  the  female  nature.  This 
physical  and  spiritual  union  is  essential  for  the  high- 
est development  of  the  intellectual  faculties  in  both 
sexes.  It  promotes  health  of  the  body  and  brings 
resistance  to  diseases.  Marriage  tends  to  long  life 
in  both  man  and  woman.  It  is  a  safeguard  against 
mental  disorders.  It  fosters  character,  stimulates 
sympathy  and  helpfulness,  and  brings  the  rarest  hap- 
piness. 

The  nature  of  woman  makes  her  attractive  to 
man.  Her  physical  differences  arouse  his  admira- 
tion by  reason  of  their  contrast  with  his  own  charac- 
ters. Man  is  also  drawn  to  woman  by  her  spiritual, 
emotional  and  moral  qualities.  He  is  more  active, 
restless,  variable,  adventurous  and  aggressive  than 
the  other  sex.  Women,  considered  as  a  sex,  are 
more  stable,  passive,  constructive  and  conservative 
than  men. 


LESSON  VII. —  THE  MAKING  OF  MANKIND 

Human  beings  are  the  highest  examples  of  de- 
velopment among  the  mammalia  or  animals  that 
suckle  their  young.  All  animals  that  produce  off- 
spring by  the  conjugation  or  marriage  of  the  two 
sexes  have  two  kinds  of  cells  in  their  bodies.  These 
are  the  somatic  or  body  cells,  which  make  bone, 
blood  and  flesh,  and  the  germinal  or  seed  cells  that 
make  the  next  generation,  the  family  and  the  race. 
A  cell  in  man  is  a  minute  speck  of  protoplasm,  an 


ADOLESCENT  BOYS  115 

albuminous  substance,  such  as  we  find  in  the  white 
of  an  egg.  Every  tissue  of  the  body  is  composed 
of  microscopic  cells  in  vast  numbers. 

The  germ  plasm,  or  seed,  may  be  called  immortal. 
We  go  on  living  in  the  children  born  of  our  bodies, 
and  we  hand  on  our  tendencies  to  virtue  or  to  sin, 
our  aptitudes,  physical  characteristics,  disposition 
to  certain  diseases,  power  of  resistance  to  the  mi- 
crobes of  ailments,  the  colour  of  the  eyes  and  hair, 
and  the  cast  of  the  features.  In  the  many-celled 
organisms,  or  living  creatures,  specific  cells  are  de- 
voted to  continuing  the  species.  These  cells  are  pro- 
duced in  many  millions  in  a  single  human  body. 
The  body-building  cells  have  their  own  duties,  such 
as  brain- forming  cells  and  bone-forming  cells.  In 
mankind  the  seed  or  germ  cells  are  male  and  female. 
The  man's  racial  or  reproductive  cells  are  called 
sperms  or  spermatozoa,  and  the  female  cells  are  ova 
or  eggs.  In  both  of  these  life  elements  are  the  bod- 
ily and  mental  qualities  of  the  offspring. 

When  a  female  germ  cell  or  ovum  is  ripened  or 
mature  it  rests  in  the  womb  or  uterus  of  the  woman. 
If  a  male  sperm  cell  is  introduced  it  seems  to  be  im- 
pelled, like  a  living  thing,  to  seek  the  ovum,  and 
to  fuse  with  it.  This  process  is  known  as  concep- 
tion. The  life  of  man  begins  with  the  fusion  of 
the  sperm  and  the  ovum. 

The  somatic  (body)  cells  are  more  numerous  than 
the  germinal  cells.  They  play  no  part  in  the  union 
of  the  sexes,  but  are  used  for  making  all  parts  of 
the  frame  from  bone  to  hair.  These  germs  are  de- 


n6   A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

rived  from  previously  existing  germ  cells,  and  not 
from  the  somatic  cells.  Only  one  female  cell  and 
one  male  cell  are  necessary  for  the  making  of  a  new 
human  being,  and  these  cells  are  the  products  of  a 
very  long  line  of  germ  cells.  We  have  all  heard  of 
cases  of  a  child  resembling  a  great-grandfather,  or 
an  ancestor  further  back  in  the  hereditary  line,  which 
shows  that  the  protoplasm  of  humanity  is  a  prac- 
tically immortal  substance. 

The  ovum  fertilised  by  the  sperm  becomes  an 
embryo  or  rudimentary  man  or  woman.  In  a  month 
the  embryo  is  about  half-an-inch  long.  At  two 
months  the  head  is  visible  and  the  limbs  begin  to 
grow.  The  sex  of  the  coming  child  is  not  recog- 
nisable until  the  fourth  month.  At  the  end  of  the 
period  of  gestation  or  formation  of  the  infant  in 
the  womb,  the  fcetus  or  unborn  being  is  about  seven 
pounds  in  weight,  the  skin  is  formed  and  tinted, 
and  there  is  a  growth  of  hair  on  the  head.  The 
babe  is  ready  for  birth. 

We  are  born  from  a  tiny  globe,  the  ovum,  measur- 
ing about  the  I2oth  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  and  the 
still  smaller  sperm  cell,  or  spermatozoon.  Man,  like 
all  the  higher  animals,  springs  from  a  single  cell,  or 
stem-cell,  made  up  of  the  male  and  female  germ 
substances  in  union.  From  this  cell  is  derived  the 
spiritual  and  the  bodily  characters  of  the  parents 
and  the  ancestors.  During  the  growth  of  the  infant 
in  the  body  of  the  mother,  the  soul,  spirit,  psyche 
or  mental  and  moral  elements  are  in  a  state  of  slum- 
ber. 


ADOLESCENT  BOYS  117 

The  foetus  is  something  like  the  pupa  or  chrysalis 
of  a  butterfly.  We  know  that  the  full-grown  insect 
will  emerge  one  day  from  the  shell  that  envelops  it, 
and  that  it  is  alive,  though  without  the  power  of 
thought.  The  new-born  child  becomes  self-con- 
scious. It  has  sensations  and  needs.  When  the  fac- 
ulty of  speech  begins  to  develop,  the  psyche,  or  mind, 
awakens  more  fully.  In  the  next  stage  the  psychic 
(mental  and  spiritual)  nature  grows  slowly;  but  at 
fourteen  it  expands  greatly,  and  new  emotions, 
ideals,  longings  and  activities  arise.  Then  comes 
the  age  of  maturity  and  of  marriage,  and  the  found- 
ing of  a  family. 

The  last  stage  of  our  cells  is  old  age,  or  the  senile 
period.  This  is  the  evening  tide  of  life.  The  cells 
are  beginning  to  wear  out.  The  germ  cells  become 
fewer  and  fewer,  and  in  an  advanced  old  age  there 
are  often  none.  We  pass  away  from  the  scene,  and 
the  young  step  into  our  places  on  the  stage  of  the 
great  human  drama. 

The  germinal  cells  in  plants  are  of  similar  struc- 
ture to  the  somatic,  and  they  do  not  appear  until  the 
plant  is  ready  for  reproducing  itself.  Human  cells 
of  reproduction  begin  to  form  long  before  the  mar- 
rying age.  But  they  are  immature  and  undeveloped, 
and  they  must  be  preserved  carefully  during  this 
growth  period.  Occasionally  boys  of  fifteen  are  ca- 
pable of  giving  life,  but  their  offspring  would  be 
feeble,  and  liable  to  early  death  or  a  life  of  suffer- 
ing. Nature  does  not  approve  of  precocious  breed- 


n8   A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

ing,  and  is  careful  to  guard  against  it  among  ani- 
mals. 

Protection  of  the  cells  of  the  body  and  of  the 
race  is  very  important.  No  young  man  in  his  senses 
wishes  to  be  old,  inactive  and  enfeebled  at  forty, 
when  he  should  be  vigorous  and  well  able  to  work 
and  to  play  with  enjoyment.  A  heavy,  unnatural 
wastage  of  the  germinal  cells  in  youth  and  early 
manhood  means  a  painful  middle  age  and  a  decrepit 
old  age.  If  the  very  active  and  healthy  body  pro- 
duces a  superfluity  of  sperm  in  an  unmarried  man 
there  is  usually  a  spontaneous  discharge  of  fluid  dur- 
ing sleep.  That  this  is  only  harmful  if  frequent 
is  the  opinion  of  many  eminent  physicians.  Fre- 
quency of  this  occurrence  can  be  checked  by  leading 
a  healthy  life,  robust  exercises,  plain  food,  the  avoid- 
ance of  stimulants,  a  hard  bed,  and  by  diverting  the 
thoughts  in  all. kinds  of  occupation  and  recreation. 

Both  kinds  of  cells  are  affected  by  certain  poisons, 
such  as  alcoholic  drink  taken  in  excess.  The  father 
germs  are  liable  to  injury  through  any  cause  that 
produces  ill  health  or  weakness.  The  seed  is  the 
life.  The  germ  cells  preserve  the  individual  health 
of  the  body  besides  creating  new  lives  in  offspring. 
A  man  may  become  incapacitated  for  parentage  by 
his  vices,  or  by  neglect  of  the  body  resulting  in  dis- 
ease. 

There  is  a  serious  malady  called  gonorrhoea  which 
results  from  associating  with  courtesans  and  is  very 
destructive  to  the  germ  cells.  Many  young  men  are 
encouraged  to  think  lightly  of  the  risks  of  this  dis- 


ADOLESCENT  BOYS  119 

ease ;  but  highly  experienced  medical  men  know  that 
it  is  the  source  of  terrible  suffering  in  both  sexes, 
and  that  it  frequently  leaves  after-effects  in  the  sys- 
tem. It  is  one  of  the  causes  of  blindness  from 
birth,  of  bladder  ailments,  joint  affections  and  inca- 
pacity for  child-bearing  in  women. 

There  is  another  deadly  poison  to  the  cells  known 
as  syphilis,  which,  like  the  former  disease,  is  con- 
tracted from  "  light  women "  who  have  been  in- 
fected. All  irregular  sexual  living  exposes  young 
men  and  women  to  the  dangers  of  these  racial  poi- 
sons. Many  who  suffer  from  them  keep  their  ill- 
ness secret;  but  this  is  fatal,  for  these  affections  go 
from  bad  to  worse  when  not  medically  treated. 
Anyone  who  has  damaged  his  cells  by  this  means 
should  obtain  proper  advice  and  remedies  imme- 
diately. 

Every  uncured  person  is  a  danger  to  the  com- 
munity. The  way  of  happiness  is  in  the  right  care 
of  the  cells  that  make  the  man  and  woman  of  to- 
day and  the  children  to  be  born.  More  than  half 
of  the  misery  in  the  world  is  the  result  of  ignorance 
concerning  the  laws  of  health  or  the  hygiene  of  the 
body.  Every  youth  and  maiden  old  enough  to  fall 
in  love  ought  to  be  quite  old  enough  to  understand 
the  importance  of  protecting  the  body  cells.  Nature 
has  no  pity  for  the  ignorant.  She  has  given  man- 
kind a  highly  organised  brain  for  the  purpose  of 
thought  and  a  guide  to  behaviour.  The  thoughtless 
are  punished  by  suffering  in  body  and  mind.  It  is 
impossible  to  avoid  all  pain.  But  it  is  not  by  any 


120      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

means  impossible  to  reduce  the  causes  of  pain  and 
illness,  to  preserve  vigour  into  old  age  and  to  pro- 
long life  by  a  care  of  the  cells  that  make  the  man 
and  the  race.  All  recklessness  and  excess  and  all 
disuse  and  neglect  are  penalised  by  Nature.  But 
our  stern  mother  approves  and  rewards  all  effort 
of  taking  care  of  the  body. 


CHAPTER  IV 

EDUCATION    FOR   ADOLESCENT   GIRLS 


IN  the  deeply  impressionable  period  before  the  age 
of  nine  girls  evince  the  same  curiosity  as  boys  con- 
cerning their  origin  and  the  functions  of  the  body. 
Nearing  puberty  the  curiosity  is  usually  more  acute 
in  girls  than  in  boys,  by  reason  of  the  more  pre- 
cocious female  development.  Physiologically,  and 
therefore  in  the  psychic  sense  also,  a  girl  of  four- 
teen is  older  than  her  brother  of  the  same  age. 
Body  growth  from  ten  to  fifteen  is  more  rapid  in 
girls  than  in  boys.  Males  grow  to  about  the  age 
of  twenty-three.  Females  are  practically  mature  at 
twenty- in  regard  to  physical  development.  At  that 
age  girls  are  often  more  emotionally  developed  than 
youths. 

It  is  generally  admitted  that  girls  are  more  mod- 
est and  reserved  than  boys.  Undoubtedly  this  is 
largely  the  result  of  upbringing.  The  superior  mod- 
esty of  women  is,  however,  an  important  biological 
law,  and  we  may  trace  the  characteristic  in  the  fe- 
males of  animals.  Timidity  and  reserve  have  be- 
come accentuated  among  civilised  women  by  strict 
social  custom.  The  severe  and  often  incredibly 

121 


122      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

cruel  punishments  and  reprisals  inflicted  upon 
women  for  breaches  of  chastity  have  tended  to 
heighten  their  native  sense  of  modesty.  Girls  have 
usually  more  aesthetic  fastidiousness  than  boys. 
Cases  of  horror  of  contact  with  unclean  objects, 
physical  recoils  and  nyctophobia,  or  morbid  dread 
of  dirt,  are  commoner  among  women  than  among 
men. 

Without  more  than  passing  reference  to  the  psy- 
chology of  modesty,  we  may  state  here  that  the 
over-accentuation  of  fear  and  shame  in  woman  is 
due  to  masculine  domination  and  influence  during 
long  ages.  Three  parts  of  modesty  are  taught,  as 
Stendhal  observes.  "  Modesty  is  very  early  taught 
to  little  girls  by  their  mothers,  and  with  extreme 
jealousy,  one  might  say,  by  esprit  de  corps."  There 
is  a  natural  bashful  feminine  resistance,  a  funda- 
mental quality,  but  to  this  has  been  superadded  a 
remarkably  highly  developed  sense  of  modesty  and 
decorum.  Innate  modesty  may  degenerate  into  that 
pseudo  form  exhibited  in  prudery.  In  other  words, 
instinctive  delicacy  may  become  abnormally  dis- 
torted, and  in  this  case  the  natural  manifestations 
and  actions  connected  with  the  erotic  impulse  may 
appear  disgusting  or  evil. 

While  true  modesty  is  one  of  woman's  graces, 
prudishness  is  a  not  uncommon  feminine  blemish. 
Undeniably  there  are  many  prudish  men.  Possibly 
there  is  as  much  male  as  female  false  modesty.  It 
is  not  necessary  to  insist  upon  the  need  for  modest 
conduct  in  both  sexes.  It  is  essential,  however,  to 


ADOLESCENT  GIRLS  123 

point  out  that  highly  exaggerated  or  morbid  modesty 
is  a  characteristic  of  the  least  cultured  classes  in 
every  advanced  civilisation.  Education  alone  can 
remove  morbid  or  pathological  disgust  for  natural 
phenomena.  The  acquisition  of  knowledge  lessens 
the  tendency  to  many  ill-conceived  repugnances. 
"  To  the  pure  all  things  are  pure." 

We  cannot  begin  too  early  in  a  girl's  life  the  in- 
culcation of  a  sanely  modest  attitude  to  sex  matters. 
This  attitude  is  entirely  compatible  with  childish  in- 
quisitiveness  concerning  birth.  It  may  seem  scarcely 
necessary  to  state  this.  But  unfortunately,  in  a  so- 
ciety that  makes  even  maternity  a  topic  for  vulgar 
humour,  there  will  always  be  persons  who  think  it 
their  duty  to  shun  the  subject  in  converse  with  their 
children.  Nothing  can  be  more  misguided  than  the 
habit  of  reproving  an  intelligent  child  of  either  sex 
who  asks  a  plain  question  about  birth.  There  are 
still  some  parents  who  hush  sternly  all  such  natural 
interrogations.  Thus  the  matter  is  immediately  ren- 
dered mysterious,  suggested  as  improper,  or  even 
disgusting.  Even  the  wonders  of  birth  into  life 
may  actually  rank  in  the  child's  mind  as  unclean. 
We  cdnnot  watch  too  rigorously  against  such  a  pos- 
sible misconception  arising  in  the  juvenile  mind. 

The  love  impulse  in  girls  under  the  age  of  puberty 
is  quite  as  likely  to  develop  spontaneously  as  in  the 
case  of  boys  in  the  pre-pubertal  stage.  There  are 
plentiful  instances  of  ardent,  affectionate  little  girls 
of  twelve  developing  a  strong  sentimental  attach- 
ment to  men  of  middle  age.  The  same  prematurity 


124      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

is  noticeable  in  young  boys  who  fall  in  love  with 
women  old  enough  to  be  their  mothers.  It  is  im- 
possible to  separate  sexual  attraction  in  all  of  these 
instances  of  precocious  affection.  The  facts  that 
many  girls  among  the  poorer  and  neglected  classes 
become  street-walkers  before  fifteen,  and  that  a  con- 
siderable number  are  seduced  in  childhood,  prove 
the  existence  of  sexual  excitement  at  an  early  age. 
In  girls  the  sexual  instinct  "  frequently  develops 
without  the  child  knowing  or  understanding  what  it 
means.  More  especially  is  this  true  of  young  girls 
whose  home  life  has  been  completely  sheltered  and 
who  have  not  had  the  advantage  or  disadvantage 
of  that  experience  of  life  which  comes  early  to  those 
who  live  in  crowded  tenements  or  amongst  the  out- 
spoken people  of  the  country-side.  .  .  .  The  girl  in 
richer  homes  is  probably  much  more  bewildered  by 
her  unwonted  sensations  and  by  the  attraction  she 
begins  to  feel  towards  the  society  of  the  opposite 


sex." 


There  can  be  no  doubt  that  girls  should  be  in- 
structed as  early  at  least  as  boys.  The  form  of 
education  suggested  for  young  boys  in  a  previous 
chapter  will  be  found  generally  applicable  in  the  case 
of  girls  of  a  similar  age.  But  the  more  elaborate 
and  diffused  sexual  life  of  woman  necessitates  spe- 
cific teaching  in  adolescence,  more  especially  in  re- 
gard to  the  high  function  of  child-bearing.  The 
chief  care  and  burden  in  the  perpetuation  of  life  rest 
i  Youth  and  Sex.  Mary  Scharlieb,  M.D. 


ADOLESCENT  GIRLS  125 

upon  women.     Need  we  say  more  in  advocacy  of  a 
very  careful  training  of  girls? 


LESSON  I. —  THE  SPIRIT  OF  GIRLHOOD 

You  are  now  nearing  fourteen  and  passing  from 
childhood  to  young  womanhood  or  adolescence. 
Your  thoughts  are  becoming  more  womanly  and 
some  of  your  tastes  are  changing.  Sometimes  you 
feel  dissatisfied  with  the  amusements  that  interested 
you  a  year  or  two  ago.  Now  and  then  you  expe- 
rience a  little  vague  sadness,  which  arises  without 
any  apparent  cause.  You  are  anxious  to  be  good 
and  to  appear  amiable ;  but  sometimes  you  feel  fret- 
ful, irritable  and  tired,  and  you  speak  sharply  when 
you  really  have  no  intention  of  being  disagreeable 
or  sarcastic.  At  times  you  feel  very  happy  and 
rejoice  that  you  are  alive.  But  there  are  spells 
when  you  have  grey  thoughts  and  a  listlessness 
comes  over  you. 

You  are  approaching  a  very  important  epoch  in 
the  life  of  woman.  This  is  the  age  when,  accord- 
ing to  ancient  belief,  the  spirit  begins  to  take  posses- 
sion of  the  body.  Your  soul  nature  is  awakening. 
When  you  were  a  tiny  child  your  sensations  were 
chiefly  physical.  You  felt  hunger,  thirst  and  fa- 
tigue, and  found  it  difficult  to  sit  still.  Now  you 
are  not  quite  so  fond  of  violent  romping.  You 
like  to  read.  You  are  more  interested  in  your 
clothes  and  like  to  think  that  you  are  prettily  dressed. 


126      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

All  your  mental  nature  is  developing,  and  you  have 
found  new  interests  and  occupations. 

The  psyche  (or  soul,  spirit,  or  mind)  that  is  now 
awakening  is  closely  associated  with  every  part  of 
the  bodily  tenement  that  it  haunts.  If  you  are  over- 
tired a  poison  of  an  acid  nature  mixes  with  your 
blood  and  makes  your  mind  depressed  or  irritable. 
Suppose  that  at  the  end  of  a  long  walk,  when  your 
muscles  and  nerves  are  fatigued,  you  meet  a  pleas- 
ant, entertaining  companion  and  begin  to  talk  on 
an  interesting  subject.  Before  long  you  have  either 
forgotten  how  tired  you  were  or  at  least  the  weari- 
ness is  made  bearable.  The  mind  is  working  agree- 
ably and  the  bodily  symptoms  are  much  relieved. 

Sometimes  you  wake  up  early  in  the  morning 
and  discover  that  your  thoughts  are  rather  gloomy. 
You  begin  to  worry  about  school  work,  or  reflect 
upon  a  fault  that  you  have  committed,  or  ponder 
upon  a  slight  or  an  injury.  Your  mood  of  sadness 
may  seem  indefinite.  You  cannot  state  to  yourself 
exactly  what  is  troubling  you.  Now,  although  you 
have  a  real  cause  for  sorrow,  it  is  probable  that  cer- 
tain physical  conditions  exaggerate  the  feeling.  For 
the  time  being  the  psychic  part  of  you  is  dominated 
by  an  unruly  or  disordered  organ  of  the  body.  The 
liver  may  contain  too  much  bile,  or  there  may  be 
slight  derangement  of  the  digestive  mechanism. 

You  rise  with  a  sense  of  melancholy  and  you  fear 
that  your  depression  will  last  during  the  whole  day. 
But  on  coming  downstairs  you  find  that  the  sun- 
shine is  pouring  into  the  breakfast-room,  that  birds 


ADOLESCENT  GIRLS  127 

are  singing  merrily  in  the  garden  and  the  daffodils 
are  dancing  in  the  breeze.  These  sights  and  sounds 
act  as  a  stimulus.  They  appeal  to  your  brain  and 
your  senses  and  you  feel  a  little  happier.  By  eleven 
o'clock  you  may  have  almost  forgotten  how  gloomy 
you  felt  at  six  in  the  morning.  This  interaction  of 
the  physical  and  the  psychic,  or  mental,  is  expressed 
in  many  ways,  and  is  a  daily  occurrence  from  child- 
hood till  old  age. 

We  are  affected  bodily  by  emotions  or  thoughts 
arising  in  the  brain.  Fear  causes  the  heart  to  beat, 
the  skin  to  tingle  and  the  face  to  grow  pale.  Joy 
elates  the  spirits  and  reacts  upon  all  the  organs  of 
the  body.  Sudden  good  news  will  banish  pain.  An 
alarm  of  fire  will  make  us  forget  that  we  have  neu- 
ralgia. Faith  in  the  efficacy  of  a  drug  will  cure  ill- 
ness. Despair  kills ;  hope  animates.  Health  is 
largely  a  question  of  happiness  of  mind. 

This  dependence  of  the  psyche  upon  the  body  and 
the  body  upon  the  psyche  is  profoundly  interesting 
and  highly  important.  It  is  at  the  age  of  fourteen 
that  a  girl  begins  to  realise  that  certain  changes  are 
occurring  in  mind  and  body.  She  is  on  the  thresh- 
old of  womanhood.  There  is  a  preparation  for 
motherhood  working  within  her.  This  evolution 
influences  both  the  soul  and  the  body  in  a  remark- 
able degree.  During  the  process  of  development 
new  ideas  arise  in  the  mind,  new  longings  assail  the 
bosom,  and  there  is  often  perplexity  concerning 
these  changes  of  a  physical  and  psychic  nature. 

The  age  of  puberty  is  characterised  by  a  strong 


128      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

though  ill-defined  longing.  This  longing  is  perfectly 
natural.  We  all  pass  through  this  experience. 
Sometimes  the  yearning  is  for  fresh  experiences  of 
life,  though  we  cannot  express  exactly  the  nature  of 
the  coveted  experience.  There  may  be  dreams  of 
success  or  of  riches.  Some  girls  meditate  deeply 
on  questions  of  religious  belief.  Others  begin  to 
discover  beauty,  and  become  interested  in  art  or 
music.  Ambition  awakens  at  this  age.  There  may 
be  a  keen  desire  to  succeed  in  studies  and  to  pass 
high  in  examinations. 

The  transformations  in  bodily  structure  are  very 
rapid  at  this  period.  Equally  rapid  are  the  changes 
in  thought  and  feeling.  These  ideas  and  sensations 
are  bewildering.  Their  origin  should  be  under- 
stood by  the  girl.  Certain  signs  of  coming  woman- 
hood, with  its  capacity  for  giving  birth,  cannot  be 
mistaken.  The  hips  (or  pelvic  region)  broaden. 
This  is  a  necessary  adaptation  of  that  part  of  the 
body.  There  is  an  alteration  in  the  structure  of  the 
thigh  bone,  which  usually  causes  a  new  gait  in  run- 
ning. Marked  growth  is  noted  in  the  breasts. 
These  maternal  organs  become  fuller  and  rounder, 
and  add  to  the  beauty  of  the  female  form.  Many 
other  changes  occur.  We  shall  describe  some  of 
them  in  another  lesson. 


LESSON  II. —  THE  RHYTHM  OF  LIFE 

Rhythm  is  a  term  used  to  express  metre  or  time  in 
poetry,  but  it  is  employed  also  in  the  scientific  study 


ADOLESCENT  GIRLS  129 

of  life  to  denote  an  orderly  recurrence  or  periodicity. 
The  investigation  of  this  law  of  rhythms  is  very  fas- 
cinating and  instructive.  The  seasons,  the  phases 
of  the  moon,  and  the  tides  are  all  rhythmic. 

The  growth  and  the  functions  of  the  body  are 
subject  to  rhythmic  order.  It  has  been  noted  that 
girls  of  the  growing  age  increase  chiefly  in  weight 
during  the  warmer  months  of  the  year.  Spring  is 
the  season  of  reanimation  and  activity  in  nature, 
and  it  has  been  discovered  that  increase  in  height 
among  children  occurs  at  this  period.  There  is  also 
a  rhythm  of  hunger.  More  food  is  eaten  in  spring 
and  autumn  than  in  the  colder  or  the  warmer 
months. 

This  law  of  periodicity  governs  the  life  of  woman 
and  endues  her  with  powers  and  duties  that  make 
her  different  from  man.  Even  in  childhood  there 
are  forces  at  work  in  the  bodies  of  the  mother  sex 
which  serve  the  great  purpose  of  motherhood  at  the 
proper  time.  At  about  the  age  of  fourteen  there  is 
a  manifestation  of  the  coming  capacity  to  bear  chil- 
dren. This  is  a  preparative  process  known  as  men- 
struation, the  "  period  "  or  the  "  monthly  course." 
There  is  some  loss  of  a  fluid  from  the  uterus,  or 
womb,  the  internal  bag,  made  of  highly  elastic  ma- 
terial, which  is  designed  as  the  home  of  the  un- 
born babe  during  the  nine  months  of  its  growth 
within  the  parent.  This  flow  lasts  usually  for  a 
few  days,  or  it  may  not  last  for  more  than  forty- 
eight  hours.  It  is  a  perfectly  natural  occurrence  and 
a  safe  sign  of  health.  The  blood-like  discharge  is 


130      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

not  required  for  the  well-being  of  the  body.  We 
cannot  yet  state  precisely  why  this  loss  is  necessary, 
but  it  is  known  that  it  follows  on  the  ripening  of 
ovules,  or  diminutive  eggs,  which  contain  the  seed 
of  human  life. 

These  ovules,  or  ova,  are  formed  in  the  ovaries, 
adjacent  to  the  womb,  and  they  are  drawn  up  to 
the  womb  by  the  finger-like  extremities  of  tubes, 
named  after  their  discoverer  Fallopius,  and  called 
the  Fallopian  tubes.  The  eggs  are  contained  in  a 
seed  vessel  or  follicle,  called  the  Graafian  follicle, 
after  the  physiologist  De  Graaf.  At  the  monthly 
period  this  follicle  bursts  and  is  discharged  with 
other  fluid  from  the  lining  of  the  womb.  This  is 
briefly  the  physiology  of  the  ripening  of  the  human 
ovule  or  germ  of  life. 

This  great  reproductive  process  involves  the  whole 
chemistry  of  the  female  organisation.  It  is  by  no 
means  a  simple  local  function.  It  affects  the  fem- 
inine soul,  intellect,  feelings  and  emotions  in  a  very 
complicated  manner.  While  this  mysterious  prepa- 
ration for  the  giving  of  life  to  children  is  proceed- 
ing day  by  day,  week  by  week,  and  month  by  month, 
a  woman  may  be  said  to  be  living  on  a  curve,  that 
reaches  its  highest  just  before  and  just  after  the 
menstrual  occurrence.  For  about  three  days  pre- 
ceding the  course  the  curve  is  high.  During  the 
days  of  the  flow  it  sinks  to  its  lowest,  and  on  the 
cessation  of  the  term  it  rises  again. 

If  we  reckon  the  month  as  twenty-eight  days,  we 
shall  find  that  there  are  several  days  during  each 


ADOLESCENT  GIRLS  131 

month  of  woman's  life,  from  about  the  age  of  four- 
teen to  about  fifty,  when  very  remarkable  changes 
of  a  natural  character  are  at  work  in  the  body. 
These  operations  influence  the  brain,  the  blood,  the 
nerves,  the  senses,  in  fact  the  entire  bodily  and  men- 
tal systems.  Just  before  the  period  the  pulse  beats 
more  rapidly,  and  there  is  a  strong  flow  of  blood  to 
various  glands,  especially  to  the  thyroid  gland  in  the 
neck.  There  is  a  rise  in  the  temperature  of  the 
body,  a  kind  of  mild  fever,  which  is,  however,  quite 
normal  or  ordinary. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  eyes  are  slightly 
affected  during  the  period.  There  is  sometimes  tem- 
porary short-sightedness,  and  the  sense  of  colour 
may  be  somewhat  diminished.  Sometimes  sleep  is 
much  sounder  than  usual,  and  there  is  a  sensation 
of  continual  fatigue.  Digestion  is  often  affected. 
Singers  notice  that  the  voice  is  influenced.  Vio- 
linists occasionally  find  that  their  playing  is  below 
the  usual  standard.  Students  have  difficulty  in  fix- 
ing the  attention.  Domestic  servants  are  apt  to  let 
china  fall  and  break.  Needlewomen  may  lose  their 
deftness  for  a  few  days. 

As  the  curve  sinks  the  mind  and  the  emotions  are 
more  or  less  disturbed.  Girls  of  a  melancholy  tend- 
ency may  become  depressed.  Hot-tempered  persons 
sometimes  break  out  in  raging  tempers.  Even  well- 
controlled,  calmer  natures  are  affected  to  some  ex- 
tent. Control  is  less  easy,  and  trifles  frequently 
cause  irritability.  There  is  the  temptation  to  "  an- 
swer back,"  to  find  fault  and  to  nag,  and  there  is 


1 32   A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

increased  sensitiveness  to  reproof  or  criticism. 
Sometimes  the  imagination  is  distorted  and  a  tend- 
ency to  imagine  slights  and  rebuffs  may  develop. 
Energy  often  flags,  and  interest  in  work  or  recrea- 
tion is  suspended  for  a  few  days.  Slight  or  severe 
headache  may  accompany  the  monthly  periods. 
Such  are  some  of  the  manifestations  liable  to  arise 
in  the  most  moral  and  normal  types  of  womanhood. 

It  is  very  unfortunate  for  women,  and  indeed  for 
society  at  large,  that  this  racial  function  is  so  fre- 
quently deranged  among  civilised  people.  The  fe- 
male animals  suffer  very  little,  even  in  the  arti- 
ficial state  of  domestication.  Savage  women  pass 
through  the  ordeal  without  much  trouble.  Both 
men  and  women  physicians  who  have  studied  this 
question  assert  that  probably  nearly  half  of  the 
women  of  our  country  endure  more  or  less  pain  and 
disorder  of  the  nerves  during  menstruation.  There 
is  no  doubt  that  a  very  great  part  of  this  suffering 
and  discomfort  is  avoidable.  The  robust  peasant 
girl,  living  an  active,  healthy  existence,  is  less  ex- 
posed to  menstrual  disturbance  than  her  fragile  sis- 
ter living  in  the  unhealthy  surroundings  of  the  city. 

There  is  urgent  need  for  a  woman  to  rest  during 
at  least  a  part  of  the  period.  Even  the  "  untutored  " 
savages  recognise  this.  When  a  young  woman  is 
in  the  trough  of  the  lowest  curve,  she  cannot  be  ex- 
pected to  perform  her  usual  duties  with  vigour  and 
precision.  She  often  feels  in  that  condition  de- 
scribed as  "  not  fit  for  anything."  The  right  course 
is  to  rest,  even  if  it  means  setting  aside  the  day's 


ADOLESCENT  GIRLS  133 

work.  The  task  will  be  better  performed  after  the 
needed  recuperation  of  force.  At  the  period  violent 
work  or  play  may  prove  very  injurious.  The  bodily 
energy,  as  well  as  the  intellectual,  may  be  said  to 
sink  to  half-pressure  or  even  less.  Reason  points 
to  repose  at  this  time.  When  the  nature  of  woman 
is  better  understood  by  woman  herself  and  by  so- 
ciety we  shall  demand  rest  at  the  essential  period 
for  all  who  use  their  muscles  or  brains. 

Over-exertion,  undue  excitement  of  the  mind, 
JongTxposureTto  cold  and  damp  all  acting  upon  a 
weakened  system  are  apt  to  cause  abnormalities  of 
the  menstrual  function.  This  is  a  very  great  ques- 
tion concerning  the  welfare  and  happiness  of  the 
mothers  of  the  race.  Any  undue  strain  at  this  crit- 
ical cycle  is  extremely  dangerous  to  woman's  health. 
There  should  be  strict  attention  to  health  during  the 
intervals  of  the  monthly  crisis.  A  host  of  girls  have 
no  knowledge  whatever  of  the  rules  of  hygienic 
living.  Many  are  too  sedentary  in  their  habits,  and 
suffer  from  indigestion,  constipation  and  neuralgia. 
Constipation  in  women  is  the  source  of  much  misery 
to  themselves  and  their  associates.  Poisoned  blood, 
through  habitual  constipation,  impairs  the  whole 
body,  and  injures  the  intellectual  and  moral  powers. 
Exercise  and  a  proper  diet,  with  sufficient  fruits  and 
vegetables,  and  the  drinking  of  plenty  of  fluid 
usually  correct  a  tendency  to  constipation. 

We  have  noted  the  psychic  (mental)  and  phys- 
ical states  during  those  days  in  the  monthly  rhythm 
when  the  girl  is  at  her  lowest  energy.  Let  us  look 


134      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

now  upon  another  picture.  On  reaching  the  sum- 
mit of  the  curve,  and  when  upon  the  upward  slope, 
there  is  normally  an  exaltation  of  the  spirit,  an  ex- 
pansion of  the  mind  and  a  sense  of  bodily  well- 
being.  Roughly  speaking,  we  may  assume  that  a 
young  woman  should  be  at  her  best  for  ten  or  more 
days  of  each  month  and  that,  with  proper  attention 
to  health,  she  need  suffer  no  disability  at  the  actual 
period. 

The  saying  "  woman  always  varies "  has  been 
used  too  frequently  in  a  condemnatory  or  cynical 
fashion.  It  is  a  scientific  fact  that  women  vary 
from  day  to  day.  Now  this  variability,  which 
often  puzzles  women  themselves,  is  really  insep- 
arable from  the  feminine  nature.  Neither  men  nor 
women  can  escape  altogether  from  the  influences 
of  maleness  and  femaleness.  Cowper  declares  that 
"  variety  is  the  spice  of  life."  The  variability  of 
women  is  indeed  one  of  their  charms.  This  tend- 
ency to  variety  in  mood  and  feeling  may,  of  course, 
become  very  exaggerated  and  abnormal.  But  this 
"  spice  "  has  certainly  its  peculiar  value. 

Man  is  more  even  in  his  life's  course,  because  he 
lives  on  a  plane.  He  has  a  male  chemistry  of  the 
body,  and  therefore  his  normal  behaviour  differs 
from  that  of  his  companion  woman.  Men  build  up 
muscle  for  bodily  exertion;  women  store  up  fat  for 
the  nurture  of  their  offspring.  These  chemical  proc- 
esses give  to  each  sex  the  distinctive  sexual  charac- 
teristics. When  these  qualities  blend,  as  in  a  for- 
tunate marriage,  there  is  a  beautiful  example  of  mu- 


ADOLESCENT  GIRLS  135 

tual  balance,  and  the  male  and  female  powers  are 
combined  in  the  interest  of  the  two  individuals  and 
their  children. 

It  is  only  possible  for  a  woman  to  restrain  her 
mental  and  emotional  variability  within  certain  lim- 
its. She  cannot  abandon  her  life  curve  and  walk 
with  man  on  the  level  plain.  This  would  be  as  diffi- 
cult as  changing  the  swarthy  skin  of  a  negro  to  the 
pale  colour  of  a  European.  No  doubt  a  woman 
has  the  power  to  extend  her  moods  of  tenderness, 
sympathy  and  affection,  and  to  curtail  her  moods 
of  extreme  sensitiveness,  irritability  and  sharp  tem- 
per. But  if  she  could  entirely  change  her  nature 
she  would  cease  to  be  womanly.  And  if  she  ceased 
to  be  womanly  man  would  not  crave  her  as  his  near- 
est and  dearest  comrade. 

The  monthly  flowering  of  woman  is  very  lovely 
and  wonderful.  She  comes  out  of  her  trial  a  new 
being,  with  added  graces  of  body  and  sou].  Her 
eyes  gleam  with  a  tender  expression,  and  she  expe- 
riences a  desire  to  be  good,  helpful  and  amiable  to- 
wards her  relatives  and  friends.  At  this  rhythmic 
rebirth  woman  emerges  invigorated.  She  attains 
the  highest  power  of  her  mind,  the  fullest  exalta- 
tion of  spirit.  Her  aptitudes  have  free  exercise. 
That  which  was  irksome  and  difficult  seems  pleas- 
ant and  easy.  She  feels  that  she  can  work  long 
hours  without  the  depressing  effect  of  fatigue.  Her 
complexion  is  freshened,  and  she  looks  younger  dur- 
ing these  sunny  days  of  the  month.  It  is  now  that 
she  realises  the  "  magic  power  of  womanhood," 


136      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

and  yearns  to  use  it  through  solicitude  for  those 
whom  she  loves. 

"  There  is  nothing  deeper,  more  gentle,  more  un- 
searchable, than  a  woman's  heart,"  declares  an  ad- 
miring poet.  Girls  should  realise  that  they  have 
a  vast  responsibility  in  life,  and  that  their  influ- 
ence as  women,  in  the  days  when  love  and  mating 
follow  nature's  preparation  for  this  felicity,  may  be 
of  incalculable  benefit  to  their  circle  of  associates, 
even  to  the  whole  of  society  and  to  posterity.  The 
humblest  girl  may  be  the  mother  of  a  genius  or  the 
consort  of  a  noble  man.  A  few  gentle  words  from 
a  woman's  lips  can  raise  the  most  despondent, 
hearten  the  discouraged  and  inspire  the  brave  to  vic- 
tory. To  woman  has  been  given  the  greatest  talis- 
man ever  discovered,  the  supreme  gift  of  Sympathy. 
And  remember  that  this  beautiful  maternal  emotion 
is  linked  with  the  physiological  processes  that  we 
have  just  described.  The  rhythm  is  the  key  to  the 
feminine  nature. 

We  should  honour  this  supreme  function  of  wom- 
anhood, and  never  think  of  it  as  a  "  humiliation." 
There  have  been  periods  in  human  history  when 
women  were  considered  holy  during  this  monthly 
cycle.  To  all  refined  and  thoughtful  minds  there 
is  a  deep  significance  and  a  true  poetry  in  this  nat- 
ural scheme.  Every  rhythm  in  woman's  functions 
is  a  sign  of  her  eternal  potency  as  the  priestess  who 
has  charge  of  the  sacred  flame  of  life. 


ADOLESCENT  GIRLS  137 

LESSON  III. —  THE  MOTHER  SEX 

The  beginning  of  the  monthly  periodic  event 
marks  the  coming  of  future  days  of  motherhood. 
This  stage  of  puberty  cannot  be  considered  the  right 
marriageable  age.  The  nubile  period,  or  time  to 
marry,  is  later.  We  know  that  a  girl  of  sixteen  is 
not  full  grown.  She  has  still  some  of  the  physical 
traits  of  childhood.  It  is  true  that  some  physiol- 
ogists and  physicians  think  that  marriage  may  be 
advisable  before  a  girl  has  reached  the  age  of  twenty. 
This  is,  however,  a  question  that  cannot  be  easily 
decided.  A  girl  of  nineteen  is  more  developed  than 
a  lad  of  that  age,  and  there  are  instances  of  young 
wives  bearing  quite  healthy  children.  But  the  right 
age  for  marriage  cannot  always  be  decided  upon 
simple  physical  grounds.  There  are  many  consid- 
erations in  this  matter,  requiring  most  careful  fore- 
thought, and  involving  questions  of  money  and  so- 
cial position. 

The  monthly  maturing  of  the  ovules  in  the  two 
ovaries,  right  and  left  of  the  womb,  is,  as  we  have 
seen,  an  indication  of  the  capacity  for  giving  life 
to  offspring.  The  female  ovule  cannot  result  in  life 
until  it  has  been  fertilised  by  the  male  seed  or  sper- 
matozoon. When  the  two  unite,  under  normal  con- 
ditions, the  marvel  of  conception  occurs.  Both  the 
female  and  the  male  cells  of  reproduction  are  ex- 
tremely small,  but  the  ovule  is  larger  than  the  sper- 
matozoon. 

The  ovule,  pierced  by  the  active  male  spermato- 


138      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

zoon,  becomes  attached  to  the  side  of  the  womb 
after  fertilisation.  The  womb  is  now  closed  against 
the  admission  of  other  male  cells.  Now  begins  the 
work  of  gestation  or  the  formation  of  a  new  human 
being.  The  embryo,  or  combined  male  and  female 
life  elements,  gradually  enlarges  in  the  womb.  It 
is  nourished  at  a  later  stage  by  the  mother's  blood 
through  the  placenta.  This  important  organ  is 
about  six  to  eight  inches  in  diameter,  and  is  made  of 
a  spongy  substance.  After  the  birth  of  the  child 
the  placenta  comes  away  from  the  mother,  but  in 
the  case  of  another  pregnancy  another  placenta  is 
formed. 

While  the  foetus  or  unborn  infant  is  being  shaped 
in  the  body  of  the  mother  a  thin  skin  or  membrane 
encloses  it.  By  a  careful  provision  of  nature  this 
membrane,  the  amnion,  is  filled  with  liquid  in  which 
the  foetus  floats.  This  is  a  protection  of  the  infant 
against  shocks  or  disturbance  caused  by  the  move- 
ments of  the  mother. 

In  nine  months  the  new  life  is  ready  for  birth. 
The  womb  has  greatly  expanded  by  this  time  and 
the  movements  of  the  child  can  be  felt  by  the  mother. 
The  passage  from  the  womb  to  the  exterior  of  the 
body  is  called  the  vagina,  meaning  a  sheath,  a  term 
used  also  in  botany.  In  coming  into  the  world  the 
infant  passes  through  a  girdle  of  bone  called  the 
pelvis. 

The  pelvic  ring  is  enlarged  in  breadth  in  woman 
as  compared  with  man,  to  assist  in  the  process  of 
delivery  or  childbirth.  It  may  be  said  that  the  larger 


ADOLESCENT  GIRLS  139 

the  pelvis  the  higher  the  species.  As  the  human 
head  evolves  in  size  the  pelvic  ring  evolves  in  width. 

While  the  embryo  is  being  shaped  there  is  prepa- 
ration for  the  supply  of  milk  from  the  mother's 
breasts.  This  milk  is  secreted  by  the  lacteal  glands, 
and  while  it  is  forming  the  breasts  enlarge,  become 
rounded  and  often  very  tender. 

The  great  function  of  motherhood  necessitates  a 
very  complicated  preparation  in  the  body  of  the  par- 
ent, and  this  process  may  be  said  to  begin  at  the 
hour  of  the  future  mother's  birth.  Nature's  chief 
object  is  the  propagation  of  the  species.  "  Increase 
and  multiply  "  is  her  law. 

The  composition  of  the  blood  of  the  mother  sex 
differs  from  that  of  the  father  sex.  Blood  is  made 
up  of  white  and  red  corpuscles.  The  meaning  of 
corpuscles  is  a  minute  particle  or  body.  The  red 
corpuscles  are  sometimes  called  erythrocytes  and  the 
white  are  called  leucocytes.  The  white  corpuscles 
have  an  important  task.  They  prey  upon  bacteria, 
the  germs  of  disease,  that  are  found  in  the  blood. 
It  is  necessary  that  the  blood  of  mothers  shall  con- 
tain a  large  proportion  of  leucocytes.  Man's  blood 
has  more  red  corpuscles  than  woman's.  Occasion- 
ally there  is  an  overabundance  of  watery  fluid  in  a 
woman's  blood,  and  this  state  produces  the  disorder 
known  as  anaemia. 

Men  need  more  muscular  tissue  than  women. 
The  mother  sex  requires  more  fat,  and  this  is  why 
the  figure  of  woman  is  more  rounded  than  that  of 
man.  It  has  been  discovered  that  the  fat  in  the 


140      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

body  of  woman  is  a  little  over  twenty-eight  per 
cent.,  while  in  man  there  is  only  about  eighteen  per 
cent.  We  realise  the  need  for  this  liberal  supply  of 
fat  in  women  when  we  understand  that  they  have  to 
nourish  the  bodies  of  their  children  both  before  and 
after  birth. 

Most  civilised  women  breathe  chiefly  with  the 
muscles  of  the  chest;  men  breathe  with  the  muscles 
of  the  abdomen,  or  belly.  This  difference  in  the  res- 
piration of  the  sexes  is  said  to  be  artificial  in  the 
case  of  women.  It  is  due  to  the  custom  of  lacing 
the  waist  and  constricting  it  more  or  less  by  wear- 
ing stays  or  corsets.  The  abdominal  muscles  do  not 
stand  a  fair  chance  of  development  when  stays  are 
worn.  They  are  squeezed  and  crowded  together, 
and  so  lose  tone  and  strength  from  disuse.  This 
wasting  of  the  muscles  of  the  abdomen  adds,  no 
doubt,  to  the  pains  of  child-birth  among  civilised 
women.  There  is  no  reason  why  women  should 
wear  stays.  They  are  unhealthy,  even  if  worn 
loose.  The  corset  is  the  cause  of  an  immense 
amount  of  internal  disorder,  distortion  of  delicate 
organs,  headache,  impaired  breathing  capacity,  in- 
digestion and  poor  circulation.  Fortunately  the  old- 
fashioned  cramping  corset  is  becoming  a  thing  of 
the  past  among  educated  women. 

Girls  should  know  that  tight  bandages  around  the 
waist  press  the  stomach  and  liver  out  of  their  place 
and  cause  displacement  of  the  kidneys.  The  womb 
is  very  frequently  injured  by  tight  lacing,  and  se- 
rious complications  are  the  result.  Pressure  of  the 


ADOLESCENT  GIRLS  141 

old-fashioned  corset  affected  the  breasts  and  caused 
morbid  development  of  the  nipples.  These  valuable 
and  beautiful  organs  of  women  were  frequently  im- 
paired for  maternal  use  by  the  habit  of  wearing 
corsets.  The  inability  to  feed  an  infant  in  the  nat- 
ural manner  is  often  traced  to  corset-wearing. 
"  This  most  disastrous  error  in  woman's  dress,"  as 
it  has  been  called  by  a  great  physician,  brings  men- 
strual disorders  by  compression  of  the  internal  gen- 
erative organs.  Barrenness,  the  most  serious  dis- 
ability of  a  woman  possessing  love  of  children, 
sometimes  results  from  tight  lacing. 

The  custom  of  constricting  the  waist  imperils 
health  and  destroys  the  natural  beauty  of  the  fem- 
inine form.  The  bulging  or  pendulous  stomach,  so 
disfiguring  to  a  host  of  civilised  women,  is  caused 
by  the  tight  corset.  A  pinched-in  waist  is  a  gross 
mutilation  of  the  noble  female  body.  Women  who 
have  abandoned  the  pernicious  practice  of  corset- 
wearing  find  themselves  stronger,  less  nervous  and 
more  cheerful.  The  "  bad  circulation  "  which  trou- 
bles so  many  women  frequently  accompanies  waist- 
pressure  and  leads  to  anaemic  symptoms.  For  rea- 
sons of  personal  health,  bodily  aesthetics,  the  wel- 
fare of  offspring,  and  therefore  of  the  community, 
compression  of  the  waist  must  be  completely  con- 
demned. 

You  will  begin  to  recognise  how  important  it  is 
for  the  mothers  of  the  race  to  preserve  their  vigour 
by  every  possible  means.  All  doctors  who  study 
the  diseases  of  women  know7  how  terribly  neglected 


142      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

is  the  hygiene  of  womanhood.  The  proportion  of 
girls  who  develop  curvatures  and  slight  crookedness 
of  the  backbone  is  very  considerable.  This  is 
largely  induced  by  sedentary  life  and  bad  postures 
while  at  work. 

Insufficient  fatty  food  makes  many  young  women 
feeble,  chilly  and  exposed  to  neuralgic  attacks.  A 
scarcity  of  vegetable  material  in  the  diet  causes  dis- 
eases of  the  blood  and  skin.  A  deficiency  of  liquid 
tends  to  constipation  of  the  bowels  and  disorder  of 
the  bladder  and  kidneys.  Lack  of  exercise  makes 
the  liver  sluggish,  deranges  the  digestion,  brings 
pallor  to  the  cheeks,  injures  the  complexion  and 
weakens  the  nervous  system.  Neglect  of  suitable 
bathing  damages  the  beauty  of  the  skin,  induces  in- 
ternal ailments  through  the  retention  of  waste  mat- 
ter, and  renders  the  body  liable  to  chill. 

Woman  is  the  precious  casket  in  which  humanity 
is  mysteriously  created.  She  is  the  choicest  work 
of  nature.  Woman,  as  the  principal  agent  in  the 
great  scheme  of  Reproduction,  should  regard  her 
sexual  nature  with  the  utmost  reverence.  There 
should  be  a  sacred  Cult  of  Motherhood.  The 
mother  moulds  the  body  of  the  child  within  her  own 
body  for  nine  months,  and  tends  and  feeds  the  in- 
fant for  months  after  birth.  She  not  only  nour- 
ishes the  child.  She  is  the  first  and  the  most  im- 
portant teacher  of  mankind.  From  her  lips  we  learn 
the  earliest  and  often  the  deepest  and  most  mem- 
orable lessons  of  life.  Women  should  highly  es- 
teem their  sex,  and  realise  that  they  have  an  ever- 


ADOLESCENT  GIRLS  143 

increasing  and  chief  responsibility  in  directing  the 
great  social  improvement  of  mankind. 


LESSON  IV. —  CHASTITY 

Love  between  man  and  woman  is  a  spiritual  and 
bodily  attraction.  The  instinct  to  love  and  to  be 
loved  is  as  strong  in  all  natural  women  as  it  is  in 
men.  A  yearning  to  be  loved  is  probably  more 
powerful  in  a  woman  than  in  a  man.  "  Love  is 
woman's  whole  existence  "  may  not  be  completely 
true  for  all  women,  but  it  is  certainly  true  for  the 
majority.  Nature  has  given  to  the  mother  sex  a 
profound  emotion  demanding  the  sympathy,  admira- 
tion, affection  and  protection  of  the  man  as  husband 
and  father. 

This  entirely  normal  and  perfectly  worthy  desire 
enters  into  the  hearts  of  many  girls  about  the  time 
when  the  physical  and  mental  changes  occur.  A 
girl  of  sixteen  may  experience  a  genuine  affection 
for  a  young  man.  In  the  days  of  our  grandparents 
a  girl  of  that  age  was  considered  quite  old  enough 
to  fall  in  love,  and  many  were  married  before 
twenty. 

When  a  young  woman  reaches  the  age  at  which 
nature  begins  to  whisper  of  love  she  may  chance  to 
meet  the  man  who  will  one  day  become  the  most  im- 
portant person  in  her  future  life.  If  a  young 
woman  is  old  enough  to  become  engaged  to  marry 
she  is  quite  old  enough  to  know  something  of  the 
real  nature  and  significance  of  the  love  of  the  sexes. 


144      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

Every  healthy,  sensible  girl  who  returns  the  love 
that  a  suitor  offers  is  sure  to  discover  a  new  strange 
force  within  her.  The  ardour  of  her  admirer,  ex- 
pressed in  tender  words  and  caresses,  makes  her  con- 
scious of  one  of  the  natural  and  supreme  desires  of 
womanhood. 

This  delight  is  wonderfully  compounded  of  the 
emotional,  or  spiritual,  elements  and  the  physical  at- 
traction. A  pressure  of  the  hand  or  a  kiss  reveals 
something  that  seems  miraculous.  The  very  essence 
of  a  real  love,  preceding  the  conjugal  love  of  man 
and  woman,  is  in  the  deep  longing  to  be  near  to  the 
loved  one.  There  cannot  be  a  true  natural  mating 
if  this  yearning  is  absent. 

Love  is  a  thing  so  fair  and  precious  that  lovers 
are  anxious  lest  it  may  be  spoiled  or  chilled.  The 
supreme  principle  in  love  is  faithfulness.  Lovers 
crave  that  their  desire  shall  be  towards  each  other. 
This  reciprocal  longing  makes  each  realise  the  neces- 
sity for  constancy  and  chastity. 

True  chastity  springs  from  a  reverence  for  love, 
marriage  and  parenthood.  A  chaste  person  desires 
a  pure  mind  and  a  clean  body,  and  is  careful  lest 
either  should  be  injured  or  defiled.  There  are  two 
points  of  view  upon  what  is  sometimes  called  the 
physiological  part  of  the  love  of  the  sexes.  One 
view  is  sane,  healthy  and  respectful.  The  other  is 
unsound,  unwholesome  and  disrespectful.  Want  of 
respect  for  the  body  often  goes  with  a  morbid,  dis- 
torted view  upon  the  love  relation.  A  chaste  mind 
sees  beauty  where  an  unchaste  mind  discovers  the 


ADOLESCENT  GIRLS  145 

ugly.  Vulgar  allusion  to  sex  functions  and  jesting 
upon  the  natural  physical  union  of  man  and  woman 
are  caused  by  a  false  outlook  upon  the  scheme  of 
nature.  We  must  be  chaste  in  thought  if  we  would 
be  chaste  in  conduct. 

The  thoughts  upon  sexual  matters  that  are  sure 
to  arise  in  the  mind  of  a  young  woman  about  to  be 
married  are  perfectly  natural.  She  should  know 
the  real  meaning  of  the  new  part  that  she  has  to 
play  in  life,  and  of  what  the  duties  of  a  wife  and 
mother  consist.  There  is  therefore  not  the  least 
trace  of  impropriety  in  an  earnest  desire  to  under- 
stand the  laws  of  reproduction.  Flippancy,  vulgar- 
ity and  indecent  jesting  about  sex  are  entirely  differ- 
ent matters  from  a  sincere  desire  for  necessary 
knowledge. 

A  chaste  young  woman  wishes  to  preserve  a  sane 
mind  and  a  sound  body  for  the  responsibilities  and 
functions  of  wife  and  mother.  She  will  not  en- 
danger the  mental  or  physical  natures  by  injurious 
actions.  Many  girls  acquire  a  secret  habit,  which 
may  become  severely  difficult  to  overcome.  This 
practice  sometimes  begins  through  irritations  of  the 
external  generative  organs  in  childhood,  and  the 
child  is  unaware  that  the  habit  is  likely  to  cause  mis- 
chief. When  excessive  and  long-continued,  this 
practice  may  induce  a  distaste  for  the  conjugal  un- 
ion. Such  morbid  distaste  is  not  uncommon.  It 
is  frequently  a  cause  of  unhappiness  in  married  life. 

If  sex  emotion  has  been  squandered  in  girlhood 
the  beauty  and  romance  of  love  may  be  seriously 


146      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

impaired  in  after  life.  Stern  control  may  be  neces- 
sary, but  the  effort  will  be  rewarded  by  future  hap- 
piness. If  temptation  is  powerful  the  thoughts 
should  be  diverted.  Girls  should  play  heartily  and 
work  well,  and  keep  the  mind  healthily  occupied. 
There  are  things  that  stimulate  unruly  impulses, 
such  as  lying  in  too  warm  beds,  idle  day-dreaming, 
reading  certain  kinds  of  love  stories,  and  overeating. 


LESSON  V. —  MODESTY 

This  word  has  more  than  one  meaning.  We  say 
that  a  person  is  modest  when  he  or  she  has  a  moder- 
ate or  humble  opinion  of  personal  ability,  achieve- 
ment or  virtue.  Modesty  also  signifies  propriety 
of  behaviour.  Usually  the  term  modest  refers  to 
our  attitude  towards  the  sex  functions  and  our  con- 
duct in  relation  to  them. 

Delicacy  and  reserve  are  essentials  of  refinement. 
We  are  not  born  with  these  virtues ;  they  have  to  be 
taught  to  the  young  child.  A  little  child  has  no 
innate  sense  of  shame  concerning  the  body.  This 
desire  for  concealment  of  parts  of  the  body  is  fos- 
tered by  the  social  and  moral  ideas  of  the  com- 
munity to  which  the  child  belongs.  A  little  savage 
is  naked  and  unashamed,  and  his  nudity  does  not 
offend  the  views  of  the  tribe.  In  civilised  societies 
there  is  always  the  tendency  to  concealment  of  the 
form  by  means  of  clothing.  But  the  code  of  mod- 
esty varies  among  the  cultured  races  of  mankind. 


ADOLESCENT  GIRLS  147 

What  is  considered  immodest  in  our  country  is  re- 
garded in  another  as  entirely  modest. 

In  the  Western  civilisations  it  is  thought  perfectly 
seemly  for  women  to  expose  some  upper  parts  of 
the  body  in  evening  dress ;  but  in  several  Eastern 
nations  a  modest  woman  never  goes  into  the  street 
without  veiling  her  face.  A  Chinese  woman  will 
not  show  her  feet;  and  in  the  old  days  in  Spain  it 
was  deemed  indelicate  to  speak  even  of  women's 
feet.  It  is  shown  by  explorers  that  naked  or  half- 
clothed  primitive  people  are  often  extremely  mod- 
est in  their  behaviour.  The  mere  putting  on  of  gar- 
ments does  not  make  a  person  modest. 

The  senses  of  shame  and  of  timidity  are  very  an- 
cient and  they  have  tended  in  many  respects  to  de- 
cency in  social  life.  A  modest  man  or  woman 
shrinks  from  causing  disgust  in  their  neighbours. 
If  a  society  decides  that  certain  necessary  acts  should 
only  be  performed  in  private,  disobedience  to  this 
code  is  apt  to  cause  revulsion  or  offence.  Disgust 
has  been  described  as  a  defence  against  the  danger- 
ous and  the  useless.  This  feeling  may  be  so  strong 
that  the  act  o.f  eating  may  seem  revolting  to  an  on- 
looker. In  some  races  of  savages  meals  are  eaten 
in  private. 

It  is  fairly  evident  that  the  dread  of  causing  dis- 
gust is  the  chief  source  of  modesty.  For  the  well- 
being  of  society  it  is  agreed  that  we  should  avoid 
arousing  disgust  by  speech  or  conduct.  But  we 
must  be  very  careful  lest  we  exaggerate  dangerously 


i48      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

our  repugnances  and  express  them  concerning  things 
that  are  natural  and  harmless.  Some  persons  who 
have  not  been  taught  the  meaning  of  true  modesty 
will  appear  to  be  disgusted  by  a  beautiful  statue  of 
the  human  body.  A  natural,  decent  mind  often  sees 
loveliness  where  a  morbid,  indecent  mind  notes  only 
ugliness  or  unpleasantness. 

It  should  be  known  that  the  cultivated  man  or 
woman  avoids  both  immodesty  and  prudery.  Low- 
minded  or  badly  educated  persons  are  often  very 
prudish  and  will  not  speak  plainly  upon  necessary 
topics.  Girls  are  apt  to  preserve  a  close  secrecy 
when  open  speech  to  an  older  and  responsible  per- 
son about  matters  of  health  or  perplexing  ideas  about 
the  continuation  of  the  human  species  is  essential. 
False  modesty  has  caused  much  bitter  suffering  of 
mind  and  disease  of  body.  We  must  avoid  extremes 
in  this  matter.  There  is  a  proper  delicacy  of  senti- 
ment which  all  should  preserve,  and  there  is  a  pru- 
dishness  which  is  very  indelicate  and  unrefined. 

Let  us  examine  the  difference  between  modesty 
and  prudery.  A  modest  young  woman  will  always 
strive  to  observe  those  customs  of  politeness  which 
are  for  the  good  of  the  community.  She  will  recog- 
nise that  certain  subjects,  perfectly  innocent  in  them- 
selves, are  not  always  suitable  for  public  conversa- 
tion, because  a  very  large  number  of  people  object 
to  such  openness.  On  the  other  hand,  the  subjects 
may  be  of  extreme  importance  to  the  individual  and 
the  race,  and  talking  about  them  to  the  enlightened 
and  the  refined. is  an  excellent  way  of  gaining  right- 


ADOLESCENT  GIRLS  149 

ful  information.  The  modest  girl  will  therefore 
refuse  to  shirk  a  question  that  concerns  her  future 
motherhood  and  the  welfare  of  her  children.  She 
will  inquire  into  a  problem  of  conduct  or  health 
without  any  sense  of  disgust. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  the  beautiful  grace  of 
modesty  may  degenerate  into  something  that  can 
only  be  described  as  immodest.  If  we  go  low 'Sown 
in  the  scale  of  human  evolution  we  shall  find  that  sav- 
ages are  often  intensely  scrupulous  in  the  observance 
of  modesty.  In  some  instances  this  excessive  anx- 
iety to  avoid  causing  disgust  is  ludicrous  or  even 
morbid.  We  may  note  examples  among  the  unedu- 
cated and  the  lower  social  classes  in  our  own  coun- 
try. Disgust  may  be  a  quite  perverted  sense,  and 
become  injurious  to  ourselves  and  our  associates. 
A  mother  who  feels  disgust  in  attending  to  her 
baby's  needs  cannot  be  a  very  capable  parent,  and  a 
doctor  revolted  by  the  human  body  and  its  functions 
would  not  be  chosen  by  a  sane  patient. 

It  is  certain  that  culture  tends  to  lessen  the  num- 
ber of  things  that  evoke  disgust.  When  we  possess 
knowledge  of  the  wonders  of  life,  and  begin  to  un- 
derstand natural  laws  and  processes,  we  learn  the 
great  truth  that  it  is  only  the  pure  and  informed 
mind  that  can  recognise  the  highest  kind  of  beauty. 
The  barbarian  is  revolted  by  the  sight  of  a  com- 
panion eating,  but  the  cultivated  man  has  outgrown 
this  sense  of  disgust,  and  likes  to  make  a  meal  an 
occasion  for  social  intercourse. 

Some  of  our  disgusts  may  therefore  be  entirely 


150     A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

the  result  of  prejudice  born  of  ignorance.  Prudery 
is  disgusting  to  a  pure-minded  modest  person,  be- 
cause this  attitude  is  associated  with  a  debased  esti- 
mate of  the  human  body  and  a  gross  view  of  the 
love  relations  of  men  and  women.  The  prude  finds 
the  unpleasant  or  the  evil  when  they  do  not  actually 
exist.  The  modest  mind  respects  the  body  and 
realises  that  some  of  the  noblest  manifestations  of 
the  spirit  are  derived  from  physical  organs. 

The  brain  is  a  grey,  pulpy  mass,  and  we  may  re- 
gard it  merely  as  so  much  tissue  or  matter.  But 
we  know  that  this  organ  is  the  medium  of  moral 
ideas,  the  greatest  and  noblest  acts,  the  works  of 
genius  and  the  marvels  of  human  invention.  Now 
when  we  reflect  that  the  organs  of  reproduction  are 
intimately  associated  with  the  crowning  and  direct- 
ing organ  of  the  brain,  we  cannot  look  upon  any 
organs  without  respect  for  nature's  handiwork.  To 
hold  them  in  contempt  is  foolish  and  ignorant.  We 
should  revere  them  as  a  manifestation  of  a  wondrous 
and  eternal  energy  that  has  shaped  the  eye  from  skin 
and  performed  a  long  series  of  evolutions  that  seem 
to  us  miraculous. 

Prudery  is  the  corruption,  the  degeneration,  of 
modesty.  It  is  responsible  for  many  evils.  A  pru- 
dish person  hushes  natural  inquiry  into  the  mysteries 
of  life,  but  does  not  destroy  the  curiosity.  On  the 
contrary,  the  repressed  curiosity  becomes  very  acute, 
and  often  morbid,  when  proper  satisfaction  is  not 
offered  and  the  laws  of  nature  made  plain  to  the 
mind.  Prudery  gives  us  a  wrongful  and  distorted 


ADOLESCENT  GIRLS  151 

view  of  many  human  affairs  and  causes  uncharitable- 
ness  in  our  judgment  of  offenders,  which  often 
drives  them  from  bad  to  worse.  This  does  not 
mean  that  we  should  countenance  sin  and  vice. 
But  we  should  try  to  uplift  the  fallen  by  sympathy 
and  love,  recognising  always  that  we  are  none  of 
us  free  from  sin,  though  some  kinds  of  temptation 
may  not  trouble  us. 

Prudery  is  not  clean-mindedness  and  is  opposed 
to  true  modesty.  Many  persons  who  are  innately 
immodest  and  have  prurient  minds  assume  an  ex- 
treme attitude  of  propriety  as  a  disguise.  The  mod- 
est woman  is  not  shocked  by  the  manifestations  of 
life,  but  by  the  misuse  of  the  love  impulse,  by  vice, 
vulgarity  and  the  affectation  of  shame  for  harmless 
things. 

LESSON  VI. —  MARRIAGE 

The  union  of  lovers  in  wedlock  brings  new  happi- 
ness and  new  responsibilities  into  their  lives.  When 
two  are  made  one  by  the  solemn  conjugal  bond  each 
partner  enters  upon  a  great  adventure  full  of  golden 
promise.  The  natural  and  moral  sanction  for  mar- 
riage is  love,  which  has  grown  out  of  strong  mutual 
attraction  and  courtship.  Without  affection  and  the 
desire  for  companionship  there  can  be  no  true  union 
of  man  and  woman. 

Before  a  maiden  consents  to  marriage  she  should 
understand  the  full  meaning  of  the  conjugal  life 
and  its  duties.  The  dreams  of  youth  are  often  mis- 
leading, and  when  the  feelings  are  ardent,  prudent 


152      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

reflection  and  self-examination  are  often  over- 
whelmed by  emotion.  An  infatuation  blinds  many 
to  the  defects  and  failings  of  the  loved  person  be- 
fore marriage.  Many  girls  marry  without  a  pas- 
sionate attachment  to  their  suitors.  Sometimes  dis- 
content and  unhappiness  urge  them  into  a  hasty 
marriage;  and  there  are  some  who  look  upon  mar- 
ried life  merely  as  a  means  of  obtaining  material 
comforts,  luxuries,  more  liberty,  or  a  better  position 
in  society.  All  these  adjuncts  to  well-being  may, 
however,  fail  to  bring  contentment  to  the  heart  of 
a  woman  who  is  capable  of  a  devoted  love.  The 
greatest  things  in  life  are  not  purchasable.  There 
are  deep  spiritual  needs  that  only  the  things  of  the 
spirit  can  satisfy. 

Many  women  pine  amongst  luxuries  because  their 
heart  hunger  is  not  appeased.  They  become  nerv- 
ous, prematurely  old  and  frequently  ill.  Something 
vital  is  wanting  in  their  lives,  and  this  want  cannot 
be  gratified  by  the  possession  of  money,  a  fine  house 
and  beautiful  dresses.  A  wife  may  possess  all 
these,  and  yet  feel  that  she  has  been  cheated  of  the 
chief  heritage  of  woman,  the  love,  sympathy  and  de- 
votion of  a  good  man. 

Girls  of  the  marriageable  age  should  know  that 
men  are  prone  to  sudden  attractions  for  women 
through  their  physical  charms,  and  that  there  are 
types  of  men  who  seem  incapable  of  loving  through 
admiration  for  mental  or  moral  qualities.  A  strong 
attraction  towards  the  bodily  virtues  is  an  essential 
of  true  love  in  both  man  and  woman.  Broadly 


ADOLESCENT  GIRLS  153 

speaking,  women  seek  strength  and  energy  in  men, 
and  men  seek  beauty  in  women.  But  a  passion  aris- 
ing only  from  the  senses  is  seldom  very  lasting. 
There  must  be  respect  for  character,  recognition  of 
fine  moral  qualities,  and  an  affinity  in  intellectual 
tastes. 

A  woman  may  be  allured  by  a  handsome  man, 
and  under  the  spell  of  this  fascination  she  may  over- 
look the  fact  that  he  is  a  spendthrift,  or  an  idler,  or 
lacking  in  the  qualities  of  sympathy,  understanding 
and  kindness.  Therefore  the  physical  attraction 
alone  is  not  a  guarantee  of  an  abiding  affection. 
There  must  be  the  attraction  of  the  mind  and  the 
spirit  as  well  as  the  aesthetic  or  sensuous  appeal. 

A  young  woman  sought  by  a  lover  should  assure 
herself  that  she  loves  him  sincerely  with  body  and 
spirit  before  she  consents  to  marriage.  She  should 
be  sure  that  he  has  no  habit  or  strong  desires  that 
are  likely  to  cause  disharmony  in  married  life.  She 
should  be  tolerant  of  his  little  weaknesses,  and  not 
censorious  of  his  mistakes,  and  should  demand  the 
same  consideration  from  her  lover  for  her  foibles 
and  errors.  There  should  be  an  agreement  between 
the  two  to  help  one  another  in  overcoming  defects 
of  temperament.  Even  in  an  ardent  love-marriage 
the  small  irritations  of  daily  life  are  liable  to  influ- 
ence the  pair,  and  tact  and  patience  must  be  culti- 
vated. 

Much  of  the  spiritual  beauty  of  marriage  is  de- 
pendent upon  physiological  harmony.  The  sacra- 
ment of  wedlock  is  the  union  of  bodies  as  well  as 


154      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

spirits.  We  cannot  truly  love,  in  the  conjugal 
sense,  a  person  who  is  physically  repugnant.  Now, 
unfortunately,  many  girls  enter  marriage  without 
proper  comprehension  of  the  very  intimate  nature 
of  the  physical  union  and  its  effect  upon  the  mind 
and  the  emotions.  We  are  beginning  to  realise  that 
a  large  number  of  marriages  are  unhappy  because 
of  the  spiritual  disharmony  arising  from  the  lack 
of  bodily  affinity.  Hence  it  behoves  the  prospec- 
tive wife  to  acquaint  herself  with  the  facts  of  the 
conjugal  life  and  the  laws  of  reproduction.  'This 
knowledge  may  be  gained  from  a  well-informed 
married  friend,  or  from  one  of  the  scientific  but 
plainly  written  manuals  on  these  subjects  which 
have  been  published  during  the  past  five  and  twenty 
years. 

No  woman  should  think  of  beginning  a  craft  or 
profession  without  preliminary  preparation.  The 
preparation  for  marriage  is  certainly  of  equal  im- 
portance. And  when  we  consider  that  our  mar- 
riages do  not  concern  us  alone,  but  the  children  who 
will  be  born  to  us,  the  community  in  which  we  live 
and  the  generations  to  come,  we  are  justified  in  say- 
ing that  the  knowledge  essential  for  healthy  con- 
jugality is  the  highest  of  all.  It  should  be  consid- 
ered a  disgrace,  if  not  a  crime,  to  marry  without 
understanding  the  principles  of  the  force  that  is  the 
very  mainspring  of  humanity. 

The  will  to  live  rightly  and  the  most  exalted  re- 
ligious enthusiasm  are  not  sufficient  alone  to  guide 
us  safely  in  matrimony.  A  desire  for  sound  knowl- 


ADOLESCENT  GIRLS  155 

edge  is  in  itself  a  moral  or  religious  impulse.  The 
earnest,  spiritually  minded  man  or  woman  strives 
after  wisdom  as  a  light  for  the  feet.  We  know  on 
the  testimony  of  deeply  religious,  but  far-sighted, 
clergymen  that  piety  without  knowledge  of  natural 
laws  does  not  always  ensure  noble  living,  or  protect 
us  from  committing  grave  mistakes.  Moral  zeal 
supported  by  sound  knowledge  must  be  our  watch- 
word. 

It  is  the  main  object  of  these  lessons  to  convince 
you  that  body  and  mind  are  inseparable,  mutually 
dependent  and  continually  affected  one  by  the  other. 
The  loveliest  flowering  of  the  soul  has  its  physical 
origin  and  precedents,  and  the  thoughts  of  the  brain 
flash  their  messages  to  the  remotest  organs  of  the 
body.  Pity  causes  the  heart-throb,  and  there  is 
truth  in  the  old  saying  that  the  bowels  move  with 
compassion.  The  brain  poisoned  by  the  acids  of 
fatigue  gives  rise  to  gloomy,  apprehensive  ideas. 
When  the  brain  is  flushed  with  healthy  blood  the 
dejection  vanishes,  suspicions  and  dreads  are  allayed, 
and  the  sad  man  of  yesterday  assures  himself  that 
life  has  its  hours  of  supreme  rapture. 

Throughout  nature  we  find  proof  that  mating  is 
attended  with  joy  and  pleasure.  This  is  essential 
for  the  continuance  of  the  species.  Human  mar- 
riage is  the  source  of  the  highest  happiness.  But 
human  love  is  an  intensely  complicated  emotion,  and 
this  very  complexity  in  the  pairing  impulse  in  man 
is  evidence  of  his  wide  differentiation  from  the  ani- 
mals immediately  below  him.  The  physical  impul- 


156      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

sion  in  man  becomes  subordinate  in  many  instances 
to  the  spiritual  longings,  and  these  desires  are  more 
complex  than  the  purely  physical  or  the  sensuous. 
This  accentuation  of  the  mental  or  spiritual  yearn- 
ings brings  certain  risks  of  disharmony  into  mar- 
riage. The  mental  machinery  of  civilised  men  and 
women  becomes  highly  intricate,  delicate  and  liable 
to  derangement.  Civilisation  increases  and  intensi- 
fies our  emotional  desires  and  creates  new  needs. 

This  heightening  of  the  emotional  power  in  the 
love  of  mankind  makes  it  imperative  that  the  im- 
pulse should  be  directed  by  knowledge,  and  not  left 
to  the  mercy  of  dying  instincts.  We  need  knowl- 
edge in  marriage  in  order  to  preserve  the  fresh 
beauty  of  life.  Much,  perhaps  most,  of  the  unhap- 
piness  in  married  life  is  the  direct  result  of  igno- 
rance. Men  do  not  learn  the  true  nature  and  the 
deepest  desires  of  women,  and  women  neglect  the 
proper  study  of  men.  It  is  easy  enough  to  say  that 
men  are  happy  if  their  wives  give  them  good  din- 
ners, or  that  women  are  quite  content  with  existence 
if  their  husbands  are  generous  with  money.  We 
know  from  daily  experience  that  excellent  cooking 
does  not  constitute  the  highest  human  felicity  for 
a  vast  number  of  husbands,  and  that  many  wives, 
with  all  the  luxuries  that  wealth  can  procure,  are 
utterly  disappointed  with  marriage. 


CHAPTER  V 

SEXUAL   HYGIENE   IN    CHILDHOOD   AND   YOUTH 


THE  hygiene  of  the  reproductive  system  depends 
largely  upon  the  general  care  of  the  body.  Proper 
sanitation,  judicious  nutrition,  suitable  exercise, 
healthful  clothing  and  careful  ablution  of  the  whole 
surface  of  the  skin  are  essential  for  a  hygienic  sex- 
uality. It  is  well  known,  for  example,  that  insani- 
tary overcrowding  lowers  vitality,  and  is  a  source  of 
consumption  and  other  diseases,  and  that  congested 
living  tends  to  heighten  sex  precocity. 

Very  few  parents  make  a  scientific  study  of  the 
important  question  of  alimentation  during  infancy, 
childhood  and  adolescence.  In  the  well-to-do  orders 
young  children  are  often  overfed,  and  in  the  poorer 
classes  a  large  number  are  under-nourished.  Over- 
feeding is  the  bane  of  many  children.  How  often 
are  children  stuffed  with  rich  and  stimulating  food 
under  the  misapprehension  that  the  more  a  child 
eats  the  stronger  it  will  be.  We  see  many  young 
children  of  both  sexes  who  are  overfed.  They  are 
clumsy  in  their  movements  through  obesity,  and  the 
excess  in  diet  produces  biliousness,  skin  rashes,  boils, 
and  prepares  the  soil  for  the  development  of  disease 

157 


158      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

in  adult  life.  Though  the  body  of  a  child  requires 
fats,  this  does  not  indicate  that  constant  fatty  food 
in  large  quantities  is  beneficial. 

In  school  life  many  children  do  not  receive  suf- 
ficient nourishment  for  bodily  upkeep  and  growth. 
The  dietary  in  the  better-class  boarding  schools  has 
improved  during  the  past  fifty  years;  but  many  ado- 
lescents are  not  sufficiently  fed.  For  the  main- 
tenance of  sexual,  as  well  as  general,  health,  the  diet 
of  childhood  and  youth  must  be  plain,  nutritive  and 
non-stimulative.  Flesh  foods  in  undue  quantity  are 
injurious  to  children,  and  after  puberty  they  tend 
to  inflame  latent  sexual  desire.  There  is  no  doubt 
that  overeating  actively  stimulates  eroticism  in  ado- 
lescents and  adults. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  caution  parents  against 
permitting  children  to  take  alcoholic  drinks.  Alco- 
hol is  one  of  the  most  potent  of  sexual  stimulants. 
It  quickly  affects  the  blood  vessels  and  the  brain, 
and  besides  exciting  desire,  it  relaxes  the  power  of 
control.  Wine  has  its  value  as  a  beverage  in  health 
and  in  some  cases  as  a  medicine.  But  alcoholic 
drink  is  pernicious  for  children  and  should  only  be 
used  with  careful  moderation  by  the  adult.  Exces- 
sive drinking  undoubtedly  slackens  inhibition,  coars- 
ens the  brain  and  arouses  libidinous  feeling.  There 
is  little  doubt  that  the  poisoned  life  germs  of  the 
intemperate  produce  diseased  offspring.  Epilepsy, 
idiocy,  mental  defectiveness  and  many  other  ail- 
ments of  body  and  mind  are  noted  in  the  descend- 
ants of  heavy  drinkers. 


SEXUAL  HYGIENE  IN  CHILDHOOD      159 

We  may  not  be  able  to  check  all  the  peripheral  or 
spontaneous  excitations  of  an  erotic  character  in 
the  child.  We  can,  however,  greatly  lessen  the 
risk  of  external  stimulation  and  artificial  excite- 
ment. The  physical  stimuli  are  undue  warmth  of 
the  skin  caused  by  clothes  and  bed-coverings,  too 
prolonged  hot  bathing,  irritations  in  the  genital  and 
anal  regions,  a  rich  diet,  all  forms  of  luxurious  liv- 
ing and  flogging.  The  mental  excitations  may  be 
even  more  numerous,  especially  in  the  case  of  chil- 
dren of  the  wealthier  classes.  These  arousing  fac- 
tors are  over-excitement,  late  hours,  suggestion 
through  companions,  the  influence  of  erotic  or  in- 
decent conversation,  vulgar  entertainments,  obscene 
books  and  pictures,  nervous  anxiety  from  any  cause, 
often  producing  a  craving  for  relief,  and  a  prudish 
upbringing.  I  believe  the  last  to  be  the  most  potent 
of  all. 

There  is  a  tendency  for  almost  any  part  of  the 
skin  to  become  erogenous.  This  important  fact 
should  be  carefully  heeded  by  all  who  have  the  care 
of  the  young.  Much  caressing,  kissing  and  fondling 
must  be  avoided.  The  highly  sensitive  skin  cover- 
ing, with  its  countless  nerves,  is  in  direct  communi- 
cation with  the  brain.  In  hysteria  the  sensitivity  of 
the  skin  is  often  intensified.  The  earliest  of  all 
pleasurable  sensations  arise  from  the  skin  —  e.  g. 
the  act  of  suckling  in  infancy.  Cutaneous  excita- 
tion undoubtedly  causes  the  most  powerful  and  often 
overwhelming  psychic  emotion.  Friction  of  the 
skin  of  the  forehead,  causing  stimulation  of  the 


160      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

nerves,  is  a  common  habit  of  many  who  use  their 
brains.  In  China  fathers  refrain  from  kissing  their 
daughters  for  fear  of  erotic  stimulation.  It  is  not 
necessary  to  observe  such  extreme  precaution  as  this, 
but  all  reflective  parents  will  recognise  that  risk  may 
attend  excessive  caressing  of  the  young. 

Ellis  points  out  that  the  connection  between  the 
sexual  sphere  and  the  skin  is  shown  in  acne  and 
pimples  on  the  face.  The  "  blackheads,"  so  fre- 
quently seen  on  the  faces  of  pubescent  boys  and 
girls,  are  probably  an  abortive  effort  of  the  seba- 
ceous glands  to  grow  hair.  "  As  a  rule  acne  appears 
about  puberty  and  dies  out  slowly  during  adoles- 
cence." This  skin  affection  is  also  liable  to  appear 
during  menstruation. 

The  sensibility  of  the  skin  is  very  manifest  in 
young  children  who  find  pleasure  in  tickling.  This 
sensation  is  a  pain-pleasure,  which  is  sometimes 
sought  voluntarily.  It  is  not  in  itself  a  morbid 
manifestation;  but  it  is  obvious  that  it  may  become 
so  if  the  irritation  is  applied  to  specific  parts  of  the 
body.  The  eminent  physician  Cowers  said  shrewdly 
that  the  sexual  act  is  a  "  skin  reflex."  A  medical 
correspondent,  writing  to  Ellis,  advances  the  theory 
that  ticklishness  in  virgins  may  be  "  nature's  self- 
protection  "  against  sexual  advances.  It  is  perhaps 
significant  that  the  inclination  to  be  tickled  usually 
ceases  at  puberty. 

We  may  state  with  assurance  that  the  avoidance 
of  undue  tactile  stimulations  in  childhood  is  advis- 
able. Every  care  should  be  taken  to  keep  the  sex 


SEXUAL  HYGIENE  IN  CHILDHOOD      161 

feeling  at  bay  until  such  time  as  it  may  be  legiti- 
mately satisfied  in  a  marriage  of  love.  To  this  end 
we  must  guard  against  everything  that  can  become 
a  sexual  irritant.  Every  ascetic  of  old  realised  the 
value  of  cold  in  allaying  unruly  desires.  Warmth 
is  an  excitant;  and  though  artificial  heat  is  neces- 
sary for  health  in  cold  and  damp  climates,  we  must 
not  be  too  warmly  clad  for  sexual  health. 

Children  and  adolescents  should  not  sleep  on  lux- 
urious feather  beds.  The  garments  should  be  loose. 
There  should  not  be  pressure  or  friction  in  the 
genital  parts.  One  writer  traces  the  masturbatory 
habit  in  little  boys  to  tight  breeches.  Close-fitting 
stays  are  said  to  have  the  same  effect  upon  girls. 
Some  very  young  children  often  handle  themselves 
almost  constantly  until  they  are  corrected.  This 
habit  often  arises  from  local  irritation  through  pres- 
sure of  clothes  or  from  uncleanness  of  the  parts. 

Norah  March  points  out  that,  physiologically  and 
psychically,  in  boys,  the  sensations  of  sex  "  are 
more  acute  and  specific  than  in  girls."  l  This  dif- 
ference between  boys  and  girls  should  be  admitted 
and  faced  by  the  parent  and  teacher.  The  scheme 
of  Nature  does  not  harmonise  with  all  our  moral  and 
social  codes.  The  adolescent  boy  may  experience 
erotic  feeling  long  before  he  is  fitted  to  reproduce 
the  species.  Thus  a  serious  problem  arises  for  the 
young  man  and  his  guardians. 

In  our  day  there  is  a  growing  postponement  of 
the  age  of  marriage.  "  Wherewithal  shall  a  young 
1  Towards  Racial  Health. 


162      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

man  cleanse  his  way?"  is  -a  pressing  question  for 
the  hygienist  and  the  moralist.  We  can  only  em- 
ploy every  possible  means  to  diminish  the  influence 
of  amatory  stimuli  for  those  compelled  to  a  long 
period  of  celibacy.  And  these  means  must  be  exer- 
cised from  infancy.  We  cannot  begin  hygienic  and 
ethical  guidance  at  a  too  early  age.  But  this  direc- 
tion must  be  very  carefully  planned  and  conducted. 

The  hygiene  of  celibacy  needs  to  be  clearly  formu- 
lated. We  are  beginning  to  apprehend  that  it  is  not 
sufficient  simply  to  enjoin  purity  and  chastity.  We 
must  devise  other  safeguards.  This  cannot  be  done 
while  the  great  bulk  of  fathers  and  mothers,  teachers 
and  clergymen  exhibit  no  active  interest  in  the  edu- 
cational guidance  of  sex  development.  The  un- 
taught cannot  instruct. 

Mere  exhortation  to  continence,  control  and  the 
repression  of  "  evil  thoughts"  is  lamentably  inade- 
quate, as  daily  experience  proves.  We  tell  a  boy 
that  lust  is  sin,  and  warn  him  against  concupiscence, 
while  we  inflame  his  system  with  a  too  generous 
diet,  permit  alcoholic  stimulants,  provide  him  with 
a  feather  bed  and  too  much  covering,  and  generally 
coddle  him.  We  counsel  purity  and  give  no  hygienic 
instruction  for  the  maintenance  of  a  clean  mind  in 
a  clean  body.  We  silence  natural  inquiry  and  leave 
the  boy  exposed  to  those  corrupting  influences  of  the 
world  from  which  there  is  no  escape  in  the  average 
adolescent  life.  We  instil  prudish,  shamefaced 
views  upon  sex,  which  set  the  mind  morbidly  won- 
dering, and  often  induce  an  insatiable  secret  curi- 


SEXUAL  HYGIENE  IN  CHILDHOOD       163 

osity.  How  can  we  expect  that  the  youth  will  at- 
tain manhood  with  a  fine  respect  for  his  sex  poten- 
tiality, his  procreative  responsibility  and  his  duty 
to  the  race? 

Excess  in  athletics  and  the  more  violent  games 
may  induce  fatigue  of  the  nerves  and  the  muscles, 
which  in  its  turn  causes  disturbed  sleep,  and  is  apt 
to  arouse  sexual  desire.  A  deficiency  of  exercise 
for  the  body  leaves  a  superabundance  of  force  that 
may  be  expended  sexually.  Overstrain  of  the  mind 
produces  insomnia,  and  masturbation  is  often  prac- 
tised in  order  to  obtain  sleep.  Listening  to  erotic, 
indecent  talk  awakens  smouldering  fire  in  many 
youths.  The  amatory  excitants  are  extremely  nu- 
merous, and  that  which  has  no  effect  upon  an  under- 
sexed  or  phlegmatic  nature  may  be  a  powerful 
aphrodisiac  for  another. 

The  struggle  to  maintain  chastity  may  be  very 
severe  in  some  young  men,  while  in  others  it  may  be 
slight.  Impulses  may  be  constant  in  the  highly 
virile  or  merely  periodic  in  some  cases.  When  ex- 
citement arises  in  the  celibate  he  should  try  to  trans- 
fer the  energy  into  hard  work,  vigorous  play,  ab- 
sorbing, non-exciting  study,  or  any  interest  that  de- 
mands concentration.  Every  effort  of  diffusion  of 
the  sexual  longing  fortifies  the  will,  and  there  is  no 
doubt  that  a  well-exercised  will,  like  an  actively  used 
muscle,  can  become  stronger. 


1 64      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

ii 

The  hygiene  of  the  female  sex  life  is  more  neg- 
lected than  that  of  the  male  in  most  civilised  races, 
especially  in  the  Western  world.  Although  the 
erotic  nature  of  woman  requires  more  subtle  stimu- 
lation, especially  of  an  emotional-psychic  kind,  than 
the  amative  desire  of  man,  it  must  not  be  supposed 
that  prolonged  celibate  living  has  no  trials  for  the 
average  healthy  woman  as  well  as  the  neurotic  or 
hyperassthetic  types.  Women  physicians  have  en- 
dorsed the  view  of  gynaecologists  that  sex  plays  an 
eminently  influential  part  in  a  woman's  life. 

We  may  be  less  concerned  with  the  risks  of  un- 
chastity  in  the  girl  than  with  the  boy,  but  we  can- 
not overlook  the  fact  that  neglect  of  sex  hygiene 
injures  the  female  even  more  than  the  male.  So 
meagre  is  the  knowledge  of  the  laws  of  the  sexual 
life  among  women  themselves  that  many  suffer  from 
symptoms  arising  from  the  uterus  or  the  ovaries 
without  the  least  consciousness  of  the  nature  of  the 
disorder. 

The  prevalence  of  displacement,  malposition  and 
prolapse  of  the  womb  is  due  in  most  cases  to  arti- 
ficial and  unhealthy  living,  to  overstrain  and  neg- 
lect of  suitable  rest  after  pregnancy.  Prolapsus 
often  occurs  in  unmarried  women  and  in  girls  dur- 
ing adolescence.  Besides  the  physical  disability  and 
suffering  caused  by  this  derangement,  there  are  men- 
tal influences,  sometimes  of  a  marked  character. 
The  sufferer  is  nervous,  depressed,  irritable,  peevish. 


SEXUAL  HYGIENE  IN  CHILDHOOD      165 

These  symptoms  usually  vanish  magically  after 
medical  attention;  but  if  neglected  they  may  quickly 
transform  a  normally  patient  woman  into  a  harassed 
condition,  disturbing  to  domestic  concord. 

Most  of  the  menstrual  disorders  are  preventable 
through  hygiene.  The  whole  process  of  pregnancy 
or  gestation  is  made  complicated,  and  often  painful, 
by  injudicious  living.  Delivery  or  parturition  is 
rendered  more  torturing  and  sometimes  a  danger  to 
life  through  the  unhealthy  mode  of  existence  before 
and  during  wedlock.  Suckling,  or  lactation,  has 
also  its  abnormalities  and  ailments.  A  host  of 
women  have  wandered  so  far  from  Dame  Nature 
that  they  cannot  nourish  their  own  offspring.  Some 
have  no  milk;  others  have  an  insufficient  supply. 
Sometimes  the  nipples  have  been  flattened  out  of  all 
shape,  and  are  practically  non-existent  through  the 
construction  of  the  corset. 

A  vast  number  of  women  fail  to  participate  in  a 
normal  manner  in  the  marital  embrace.  Dr.  Mary 
Stopes  estimates  that  seventy  to  eighty  per  cent,  of 
wives  are  unhappy  in  this  relation,  through  the  igno- 
rance of  their  husbands  of  the  nature  of  women  and 
no  knowledge  of  the  periodicity  of  erotic  inclination 
in  their  sex.  But  many  are  "  frigid,"  or  anaesthetic, 
from  various  physical  and  psychic  causes.  Vecki 
has  found  abnormality  of  this  kind  in  whole  fam- 
ilies. This  unnatural  condition  is  sometimes  the 
outcome  of  carefully  imparted  prudish  prejudice 
against  sex,  producing  sexphobia.  For  this  disor- 
der the  lack  of  sex  education  is  frequently  responsi- 


1 66   A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

ble.  False  ideas  have  taken  root  deeply  in  the  mind 
during  childhood  and  youth,  and  a  repugnance  of 
the  scheme  of  reproduction  has  developed  into  a  true 
mental  complex. 

A  large  number  of  cases  of  premature  birth  and 
abortion,  or  miscarriage,  are  avoidable.  The  repro- 
ductive powers  of  many  women  are  overtaxed  by  too 
rapidly  recurrent  pregnancy.  The  majority  of 
working-class  mothers  cannot  rest  sufficiently  after 
delivery,  and  the  health  of  the  race  is  endangered. 
Various  rigorous  forms  of  labour  sap  the  power  of 
potential  and  actual  mothers.  The  sedentary  life, 
malnutrition,  want  of  fresh  air  and  nervous  strain 
render  some  women  unfit  to  continue  the  race. 
Anaemia  and  neurasthenia  handicap  an  immense 
number  of  women  in  the  battle  of  life.  Ovarian 
maladies  often  follow  a  denial  of  the  function  of 
maternity.  All  these  are  dysgenic  factors,  forces 
acting  against  the  well-being  of  the  individual  and 
the  community.  They  are  chiefly,  if  not  entirely, 
the  result  of  the  neglect  of  woman's  sex  hygiene  and 
education. 

Our  daughters  should  be  protected  against  these 
evils  by  a  knowledge  of  the  mechanism  and  the 
right  use  of  the  body,  by  an  appreciation  of  their 
duty  as  mothers,  and  by  a  practical  education  in  the 
laws  of  sex,  the  care  of  the  racial  function,  and  the 
management  of  infants  and  children.  They  should 
be  taught  that  love  is  not  only  the  most  inspiriting 
of  all  personal  experiences,  but  the  source  of  human 
progress  in  all  the  finer  spiritual  and  moral  develop- 


SEXUAL  HYGIENE  IN  CHILDHOOD      167 

ments.  The  ideal  attitude  to  sex  must  be  incul- 
cated not  only  by  ethical  precept,  but  by  scientific 
teaching  that  inspires  interest,  and  reveals  the  mar- 
vels, the  beauty  and  might  of  the  eternal  life  energy. 
Physical  hygiene  depends  upon  sane  hygiene  of 
the  mind.  We  cannot  hope  that  either  boys  or  girls 
will  develop  a  proper  esteem  for  the  body  if  the 
mind  is  darkened  by  counsels  of  prudery,  or  soiled 
by  prurient  ideas.  Fantastic  and  irrational  recoils 
of  the  mind  must  inevitably  occur  when  the  subject 
of  sex  is  approached  with  shameful  furtiveness.  If 
the  brain  is  not  working  healthily  we  cannot  expect 
a  healthy  functioning  of  organs  intimately  related 
with  it.  Wrong  and  distorted  thinking  upon  sex 
diverts  the  erotic  impulse  from  normal  expression, 
and  often  leads  to  abnormality  and  perversion. 
Hence  the  need  for  a  sane  psychic  hygiene  of  sex 
from  childhood  and  throughout  the  whole  of  life. 


CHAPTER  VI 

PHYSIOLOGY 


FOR  the  aid  of  parents  and  teachers  in  instructing 
adolescents  some  knowledge  of  the  structure  of  the 
organs  of  generation  and  their  functions  is  essential. 
It  is  not  often  necessary  to  impart  precise  anatomical 
information  to  children  before  the  age  of  puberty. 
But  hygienic  counsel  cannot  well  be  given  without 
physiological  knowledge,  and  parents  with  sons  and 
daughters  of  the  marriageable  age  should  be  able 
to  answer  inquiry  concerning  physical  processes. 
When  we  realise  that  the  well-being  of  the  body  is 
greatly  dependent  upon  healthy  sex  function,  as  well 
as  nutrition,  it  is  not  possible  to  separate  the  physiol- 
ogy of  the  reproductive  system  from  general  phys- 
iology. We  cannot  interpret  the  psychic  elements 
in  sex  love  without  a  knowledge  of  sexual  phys- 
iology. 

Reproduction  in  such  lowly  organisms  as  the 
monera  and  amoeba,  which  are  microscopic  unit- 
masses  of  protoplasm,  is  by  cleavage  or  division  into 
equal  halves.  Man's  earliest  forerunners  in  the  ani- 
mal kingdom  increased  by  division,  the  splitting  of 
single  cells,  or  by  the  formation  of  buds.  Sexual 

168 


PHYSIOLOGY  169 

differentiation  marks  great  evolutionary  progress. 
The  offspring  of  the  female  cell  and  the  male  cell 
inherit  the  qualities  of  both  parents,  and  there  is 
advance  in  intelligence,  complexity  of  structure,  and 
variation  in  individuals.  Thus  the  attraction  of  two 
differing  cells  is  the  beginning  of  psychic  or  spir- 
itual development  and  expansion.  The  process  of 
reproduction  becomes  intimately  associated  with,  and 
practically  dependent  upon,  psychic  influences. 
Manifold  subtle  mental  and  emotional  forces  enter 
into  sexual  love,  which  is  no  longer  a  mechanical 
copulatory  act. 

This  attraction  of  the  sperm  cell  of  the  male  to 
the  ovum  of  the  female  is  the  biological,  the  primal, 
source  of  love  in  mankind.  The  brain  becomes 
dominated  by  a  mighty  passion  with  stupendous 
power  for  human  weal  or  human  woe.  Man's 
progress  is  to  an  enormous  extent,  the  result  of  the 
complex  sex  development,  differentiating  him  from 
the  animals. 

The  sexual  differences  in  the  two  sexes  can  be 
seen  in  the  embryo  in  the  tenth  week  after  concep- 
tion. After  birth  the  sex  organs  are  immature,  and 
remain  infantile  until  the  approach  of  puberty  at 
about  fourteen  in  the  girl  and  fifteen  in  the  boy.  In 
males  the  testicles,  which  contain  the  germs  of  life, 
are  in  the  groin,  or  inguinal  region,  until  the  on- 
coming of  pubertal  growth,  when  they  descend  into 
the  sac  or  scrotum.  The  tissue  of  the  external 
organs  of  generation  in  both  sexes  is  profusely  sup- 
plied with  blood.  Congestion  of  the  blood  vessels 


170     A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

produces  the  state  of  turgescence  necessary  for 
coitus  (sexual  union). 

The  male  sperm  is  contained  in  tubules  in  the 
testicles  and  is  expelled  in  the  sex  act.  The  active 
fertilising  cells  are  in  a  fluid  which  is  injected  into 
the  female  vagina.  If  a  spermatozoon  meets  a  ma- 
ture ovum  in  the  uterus,  or  the  ovarian  tubes  of  the 
female,  conception  occurs.  The  ovum  (female 
generative  cell)  is  minute  in  size,  but  the  sperma- 
tozoon (male  cell)  is  very  much  smaller.  The  male 
germs  are  extremely  active,  and  may  be  said  to  find 
the  ovum  by  instinct.  Ancient  physiologists  be- 
lieved that  the  spermatozoa  were  animalcules. 

Ova  are  contained  in  a  capsule,  or  follicle,  discov- 
ered by  R.  de  Graaf  in  1677,  and  since  called  the 
Graafian  follicle.  This  fibrous  follicle  has  fluid,  and 
is  lined  with  cells  that  encompass  the  true  ovum. 
The  ovum  is  of  oval  form  and  may  be  about  Mooo 
inch  in  diameter,  or  considerably  larger  when  ri- 
pened. Ova  are  conveyed  from  the  ovaries  to  the 
womb,  or  uterus,  by  the  oviducts  or  Fallopian  tubes. 

The  uterus  is  a  highly  dilatable  bag,  provided  with 
glands  from  birth.  At  puberty  these  secreting  or- 
gans increase  in  number,  and  they  elongate  during 
menstruation.  The  passage  from  the  exterior  of 
the  body  to  the  womb  is  called  the  vagina,  meaning 
a  sheath.  It  is  supplied  with  mucous  glands  and  a 
network  of  nerves.  The  mouth  of  the  womb  is  in 
the  upper  part  of  the  vagina. 

The  breasts  are  provided  with  secreting  glands, 
large  and  small  ducts,  and  cells  that  form  oil  and 


PHYSIOLOGY  171 

milk  globules.  The  breasts,  or  mammae,  increase  in 
size  at  puberty,  and  enlarge  still  more  during  child- 
bearing  and  suckling.  In  old  age  they  usually 
shrink  and  lose  their  firmness  and  rotundity. 

Menstruation,  the  menses,  or  monthly  course  is  a 
law  of  sexual  periodicity  occurring  in  the  human 
species  in  most  cases  once  in  the  lunar  month.  It  is 
a  preparation  for  pregnancy,  and  is  believed  by  some 
investigators  to  involve  a  monthly  discarding  of 
membranous  tissue  in  the  uterus,  and  a  kind  of  inner 
renovation.  During  the  period  the  mature  ovum 
passes  into  the  uterus,  where  it  awaits  the  male  fer- 
tilising element.  If  unimpregnated,  the  ovum  per- 
ishes. There  is  still  doubt  as  to  the  exact  cause  or 
the  real  physical  nature  of  the  menstrual  process. 
The  maturing  of  the  ovum  does  not  appear  to  be  an 
efficient  cause,  as  ovulation  is  a  continuous  activity 
and  has  been  noted  before  birth.  Moreover,  re- 
moval of  the  ovarian  organs  does  not  always  affect 
the  monthly  function.  Menstruation  has  occurred 
when  ovaries  and  tubes  were  absent ;  and  there  may 
be  no  menstrual  flow,  though  the  ovaries  are  per- 
fectly normal  and  ovulation  occurs. 

Menstruation  has  been  regarded  as  a  supernatural 
event.  There  were  formerly  endless  taboos  and 
regulations  connected  with  this  natural  phenomenon. 
Among  some  savage  and  semi-barbaric  peoples  the 
cycle  occurs  at  long  intervals.  This  has  been  noted 
among  the  Eskimos,  the  Laplanders,  American  In- 
dians, and  in  South  American  tribes.  Among  Eu- 
ropeans there  are  instances  of  the  fortnightly  recur- 


172      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

rence  of  menstruation.  Dr.  Marie  Carmichael 
Stopes  has  lately  published  some  highly  interesting 
data  concerning  the  regular  recurrence  of  sexual 
desire  in  women  at  the  mid-monthly  period.  This 
periodic  manifestation  is  regarded  by  Dr.  Stopes  as 
a  natural  law  that  is  almost  unrecognised  in  the 
civilised  societies  of  to-day.  To  the  neglect  of  this 
law  she  attributes  a  large  part  of  conjugal  dishar- 
mony and  unhappiness.1 

It  seems  plain  that  the  higher  the  evolution  the 
more  marked  is  the  tendency  to  frequent  repetition 
of  the  menstrual  function  and  the  more  copious  the 
flow.  There  is  a  view  that  the  process  has  been  ren- 
dered more  frequent  by  artificial  living  and  by  vari- 
ous stimuli;  but  some  of  the  higher  apes  are  known 
to  menstruate  once  a  month.  It  has  been  suggested 
that  prolonged  menstrual  periods  may  arrest  growth 
in  delicate  girls,  and  Dr.  Fothergill  has  stated  that 
if  this  wastage  can  be  checked  development  of  the 
body  proceeds.2 

When  it  is  recognised  that  menstruation  is  a  con- 
tinuous process,  we  shall  realise  that  girls  require  a 
different  upbringing  from  boys.  In  the  reproduc- 
tion of  the  species  the  female  plays  the  more  ex- 
acting part  throughout  nature.  A  woman  may  be 
said  to  be  in  a  perpetual  state  of  preparation  for  the 
exercise  of  her  maternal  office.  The  physiological 
and  mental  changes,  involved  from  puberty,  when 

1  Married  Love.    M.  C.  Stopes,  M.D.     Fifield,  London,  1918. 

2  Refer  to  Man  and  Woman.    Havelock  Ellis.     Scott,  Lon- 
don. 


PHYSIOLOGY  173 

menstruation  begins,  until  it  ceases  at  the  meno- 
pause, or  change  of  life,  are  recurrent  and  affect 
the  whole  being.  As  Ellis  states:  "If  we  have  to 
investigate  the  comparative  reaction  of  a  man  and  a 
woman  to  any  scientific  test,  we  have  to  recognise 
that  the  woman  lives  on  a  curve,  and  that  her  exact 
position  on  the  curve  at  a  given  moment  may  affect 
her  superiority  or  inferiority  to  the  man." 

The  internal  ductless  glands,  termed  "  hormones  " 
by  Professor  Starling,  are  of  great  importance  in  the 
psychic  and  physical  sex  life.  From  the  glandular 
cells  of  the  testicles  in  man  is  secreted  a  fluid  that 
affects  body  growth  and  determines  the  secondary 
sexual  characters.  These  glands  act  before  the 
germinal  function  is  established.  They  are,  in  a 
large  part,  the  source  of  manliness  of  structure  and 
of  the  masculine  qualities  of  mind.  Their  secretion 
also  arouses  amatory  excitement  in  the  brain.  Anal- 
ogous secretions  in  the  ovary  of  the  woman  influence 
both  mind  and  body.  There  seems  to  be  little  doubt 
that  the  diffusion  of  these  hormone  secretions  in 
man  and  woman  arouses  the  mating  instinct  and 
contributes  to  sex  characters  of  a  secondary  nature. 
Experiment  shows  that  injections  of  secretion  from 
these  remarkable  glands  will  produce  very  marked 
results  in  persons  who  have  a  deficiency  of  the  hor- 
mone fluids. 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE   PSYCHOPATHOLOGY   OF   SEX 


THE  sexual  instinct  by  reason  of  its  potency,  com- 
plexity and  reactions  is  predisposed  to  aberration, 
abnormality  and  perversion.  Absolute  normality  is 
not  always  easy  to  define.  There  are  the  subnormal 
and  the  supernormal  manifestations,  as  we  find  them 
in  the  under-sexed  or  the  strongly-sexed  individuals. 
Lombroso  describes  erotic  excitement  in  women  as 
pathological,  whereas  many  physiologists  class  fem- 
inine sexual  anaesthesia,  or  coldness,  as  a  disorder 
or  neurosis.  Ancient  asceticism  was  wont  to  regard 
the  love  impulse  as  the  outcome  of  morbidity  of  the 
soul.  Many  savage  people  imagine  that  the  normal 
physical  intercourse  of  the  sexes  is  dangerous  to 
health. 

The  researches  of  modern  therapeutists  illuminate 
the  mystery  of  sex  perversions.  Some  of  these 
phenomena  of  the  sexual  life  seem  to  be  echoes  of 
promptings  in  the  early  history  of  the  race,  and  some 
are  associated  with  the  strange  infantile  memories. 
Passive  algolagnia,  or  the  enjoyment  of  pain  as  an 
erotic  stimulant  and  means  of  satisfaction,  may 
arise,  as  we  have  seen,  from  the  infliction  of  cor- 


THE  PSYCHOPATHOLOGY  OF  SEX      175 

poral  punishment  on  young  children.  Active  algo- 
lagnia,  or  Sadism,  is  an  exaggerated  survival  of  the 
impulse  to  capture  and  seize,  or,  in  other  terms,  an 
accentuation  of  the  element  of  violence  in  the  male, 
.the  more  active  sex.  In  a  slight  degree  it  may  be 
said  that  most  women  have  traces  of  the  instinct  to 
endure  pain  inasmuch  as  their  passivity,  and  often 
their  altruism,  contrasts  with  the  energy  and  egoism 
of  men.  This  passivity  may  merge,  under  certain 
stimuli,  into  a  positive  seeking  for  violence  or  the 
endurance  of  pain.  The  natural  vehemence  of  the 
male  may  be  transformed  in  greater  or  less  degree 
to  a  desire  to  inflict  pain.  In  extreme  instances, 
Sadism  finds  expression  in  acts  of  sheer  cruelty 
and  even  murder.  This  perversion  is  often  asso- 
ciated with  a  mania  for  shedding  blood. 

We  cannot  ignore  the  morbid  psychology  of  sex 
if  we  would  be  at  all  points  prepared  in  the  guidance 
of  youth.  It  is  useless  to  affect  that  sex  aberra- 
tions are  unusual.  They  are  far  from  rare  in  either 
uncivilised  or  civilised  races.  Perversions  of  the 
sex  instinct  have  been  noted  in  the  lowest  as  well 
as  the  highest  orders  of  mankind,  in  the  genius  and 
in  the  most  primitive  of  savages. 

Animals  in  domesticity  frequently  develop  sexual 
perversity. 

A  fair  proportion  of  boys  show  some  slight  traits 
of  cruelty  towards  companions  and  animals,  and  this 
deficiency  in  sympathy  is  probably  more  notable  be- 
fore than  after  puberty.  Pity  and  kindness  are 
often  deepened  when  the  psyche  begins  to  develop. 


176      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

If  a  youth  exhibits  an  unusual  tendency  to  inflict 
suffering,  especially  without  provocation  on  the  part 
of  the  victim,  we  may  with  some  reason  suspect  a 
Sadistic  strain.  But  care  must  be  used  to  distin- 
guish between  the  thoughtless,  ignorant  imposition 
of  suffering,  often  noticeable  in  quite  young  chil- 
dren, and  deliberate,  meditated  acts  of  cruelty.  The 
wanton  torturing  and  mutilation  of  animals  is  un- 
doubtedly associated  with  algolagnia.  Such  cases 
are  occasionally  reported  in  the  newspapers.  The 
friends  of  the  offenders  are  unable  to  account  for 
these  acts  on  the  part  of  an  individual  who  may  ap- 
pear perfectly  sane. 

When  algolagnia  becomes  a  true  psychosis,  or 
definite  perversion,  there  is  serious  danger  lest  the 
sufferer  should  injure  others.  There  are  terrible 
records  of  deeds  of  cruelty  committed  by  sexual 
perverts  under  insane  obsessions.  In  all  the  sexu- 
ally perverse  and  vicious  sections  of  the  community 
in  the  civilised  nations,  satisfactions  are  secretly  pro- 
vided for  perverted  persons  in  houses  of  ill  fame. 
The  chronicles  of  sexual  abnormality,  collected  by 
alienists,  physicians  and  psychotherapists,  abound 
with  amazing  instances  of  the  ingenuity  of  perverts 
in  obtaining  gratification. 

The  aberrant  impulses  may  be  checked  by  careful 
nurture  in  childhood  and  youth,  by  sublimation  of 
the  erotic  yearnings,  and  by  hygienic  living  and  en- 
grossing interests.  Hypnotism,  or  suggestion,  has 
been  employed  with  success  by  many  psychopathic 
experts.  Psychoanalysis  is  more  likely  to  effect  a 


THE  PSYCHOPATHOLOGY  OF  SEX      177 

complete  cure.  Teachers,  jurists,  doctors  and 
clergymen  should  consult  the  works  of  Freud, 
Jung,  Bjerre,  Pfister,  Ernest  Jones,  Brill,  Djerine 
and  other  writers  of  the  psychoanalytic  school. 

Various  degrees  of  sex  perversion  are  instanced 
in  the  inveterate  habit  of  repeating  indecent  anec- 
dotes and  jokes,  the  writing  of  obscene  anonymous 
letters  to  women,  and  collecting  lewd  pictures  and 
photographs.  By  these  means  some  persons  obtain 
"  a  vicarious  gratification,"  and  this  may  become  an 
actual  substitute  for  normal  satisfactions  of  instinct. 
Subjects  addicted  to  the  mania  for  cutting  off  wom- 
en's hair  in  the  streets  have  admitted  that  this  mis- 
demeanour is  a  sexual  impulse.  Men  and  boys  who 
improperly  expose  themselves  (exhibitionists)  are 
sufferers  from  a  somewhat  common  form  of  per- 
version. 

Some  inquirers  in  the  abnormal  psychology  of  the 
sexual  instinct  regard  kleptomania  as  a  sex  aberra- 
tion. Kleptomaniacs  have  confessed  that  they  ex- 
perience erotic  feeling  at  the  moment  of  purloining 
an  article,  and  that  the  danger  of  detection  intensi- 
fies the  pleasure.  Another  common  anomaly  of  the 
sex  emotion  is  fetichism,  in  which  the  focus  of  in- 
terest is  transferred  from  the  body  of  the  desired 
person  to  parts  of  the  clothing,  especially  to  shoes. 

The  safeguarding  of  the  developing  sex  feeling 
against  perverse  tendencies  is  a  matter  of  great  im- 
portance for  the  parent  and  the  teacher.  Quite  un- 
wittingly those  who  have  charge  of  the  young  may 
foster  perversions  and  abnormalities.  Prudishness 


1 78   A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

and  contempt  for  sex  may  cause  a  pathological 
frigidity  in  women.  Flippant  or  gross  conversation 
about  love  and  sexual  relations  may  stimulate  a 
powerful  libidinous  inclination  in  youth,  which  is 
likely  to  induce  perverse  practice  in  later  life. 

II 

The  prevalence  and  the  alleged  increase  of  homo- 
sexuality, or  sexual  inversion,  makes  it  necessary  to 
devote  a  few  pages  to  this  difficult  enigma  of  human 
nature.  A  perfectly  normal  development  of  the  sex 
instinct  in  adolescence  and  the  adult  life,  in  which 
the  affection  and  desire  are  towards  one  of  the  op- 
posite sex,  is  described  as  heterosexual.  If  the  emo- 
tion and  the  yearning  are  aroused  by  a  person  of  the 
same  sex,  we  speak  of  the  attraction  as  inverted  or 
homosexual.  There  are  men  and  women  who  are 
born  with  inverted  instincts.  These  are  classed  as 
true  sexual  inverts  and  are  sometimes  described  as 
urnings  or  uranians.  The  typical  male  invert  is 
found  in  all  classes  of  society,  from  the  highest  to 
the  lowest. 

The  homosexual  is  a  responsible  being.  He  is 
fated  with  a  congenital  tendency,  but,  like  the  in- 
heritor of  the  alcoholic  bias,  or  the  man  with  an  im- 
perfect sense  of  right  and  wrong,  he  is  bound  to 
adapt  his  conduct  to  the  codes  of  the  society  into 
which  he  is  born. 

In  this  text-book  it  is  not  necessary  to  discuss 
sexual  inversion  in  all  its  bearings  upon  the  in- 
dividual and  the  community.  It  is  necessary,  how- 


THE  PSYCHOPATHOLOGY  OF  SEX      179 

ever,  to  refer  to  a  transitory  manifestation  of  this 
aberration,  which  is  a  not  uncommon  phase  of  the 
pubertal  stage.  We  cannot  overlook  the  fact  that 
a  number  of  teachers  and  parents  are  confronted 
with  this  difficult  problem.  Whispers  of  unmen- 
tionable practices  in  certain  schools  reach  the  ears  of 
solicitous  parents. 

Mr.  A.  C.  Benson,  an  experienced  educator,  states 
that  no  boy  is  likely  to  preserve  his  innocence  in 
passing  through  school  life.  "  One  hears  of  simply 
heart-rending  cases  where  a  boy  dare  not  even  tell 
his  parents  of  what  he  endures."  This  aberrant 
tendency  is  noted  among  girls  as  well  as  boys.  In- 
tensely emotional  friendships  are  common  in  some 
girls'  schools,  as  described  to  me  by  women  teachers. 

It  is  important  for  parents  to  know  that  psychol- 
ogists of  note  have  traced  a  frequent  transitory  ten- 
dency to  strong  sentimental  attraction,  sometimes  of 
an  erotic  type,  between  young  persons  of  the  same 
sex,  and  an  adoring,  even  passionate,  devotion  of  a 
boy  or  a  girl  for  an  older  member  of  the  same  sex. 
The  truth  is  that  in  the  first  strange  and  frequently 
powerful  reaching  out  of  the  heart  for  love  in  the 
pubertal  period,  and  even  before,  a  fervidly  emo- 
tional nature  may  "  fall  in  love,"  as  it  appears,  with 
a  person  of  the  same  sex.  In  many  instances,  prob- 
ably in  the  majority,  there  is  no  definite,  specialised 
physical  arousing  whatever. 

No  doubt  school  life,  with  its  practically  complete 
seclusion  from  the  opposite  sex,  may  aid  in  the  tem- 
porary fixation  of  an  ardent  affection  upon  one  of 


i8o      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

the  same  sex.  It  is  noted  that  this  transient,  senti- 
mental phase  is  a  common  form  of  substitution-love 
in  both  boys'  and  girls'  schools.  The  keenly  awak- 
ened sentiment  vaguely  quests  for  response  and  sat- 
isfaction. When  the  boy  or  the  girl  leaves  school 
and  mixes  freely  among  both  sexes,  the  emotion 
speedily  takes  the  normal  course,  and  the  preoccupa- 
tion is  directed  upon  the  opposite  sex. 

Reviewing  the  matter  cautiously,  I  am  convinced 
that  the  conclusions  of  the  newer  psychology  are 
correct.  This  temporary  emotion  is  not  rare  under 
the  present  system  of  sexual  segregation  in  youth, 
and  may  even  arise  when  there  is  no  compulsory 
separation  of  the  sexes.  The  love  instinct  in  its 
nascent  stage  gropes,  often  semi-consciously  at  the 
most,  for  expression  and  satisfaction.  There  may 
be  no  sentiment  whatever  regarding  the  opposite 
sex,  though  a  craving  to  love  and  to  be  loved  exists 
in  the  child's  breast.  Therefore,  in  the  vast  ma- 
jority of  cases,  the  true  inverted  sense  never  de- 
velops fully  nor  becomes  permanent. 

in 

The  transitory  and  vague  inverted  tendency  of 
childhood  and  adolescence  may  develop  and  become 
permanent  through  experimentation  in  erotic  irreg- 
ularities, or  by  the  example  of  adults  or  older  school 
companions.  Normally  there  is  great  variety  in 
sexual  idiosyncrasy,  and  suggestion  and  example 
may  induce  abnormal  proclivities  in  youth.  How, 
then,  shall  we  protect  our  children  against  the  risk 


THE  PSYCHOPATHOLOGY  OF  SEX      181 

of  acquiring  perverse  habits?  Our  first  endeavour 
must  be  to  establish  a  respect  for  sex  and  a  high 
appreciation  for  the  need  for  controlling  wandering 
propensities.  We  should  teach  that  normality  is 
healthy,  natural  and  socially  advantageous.  It  must 
be  insisted  that  the  formation  of  abnormal  habits  is 
likely  to  become  a  terrible  tyranny. 

There  is  also  the  moral  aspect  of  the  question. 
The  boy  who  instils  homosexual  ideas  in  a  com- 
panion may  cause  social  disgrace  and  complicate  the 
struggle  for  chastity.  We  must  exert  the  most  care- 
ful discernment  in  warning  the  young  upon  this 
danger.  It  may  not  be  necessary  to  refer  explicitly 
to  homosexual  and  perversions;  but  there  should  be 
general  counsel  and  warning  against  tampering  with 
the  life  force.  If  inversion  is  suspected,  the  boy  or 
girl  should  be  treated  as  early  as  possible  by  a 
skilled  psychotherapist. 

Let  us  close  this  chapter  with  a  hopeful  anticipa- 
tion of  human  progress  towards  a  finer  sex  life. 
For  ages  sexual  excesses  and  morbidities  have  pre- 
vailed among  mankind.  Some  of  these  evils  are 
due  to  disharmonies  and  savage  survivals  that  evolu- 
tion will  ultimately  remove.  The  races  still  flourish 
in  spite  of  the  common  theory  of  degeneration. 
There  are  always  strong  natural  forces  counteract- 
ing deteriorating  processes,  and  there  is  ample  proof 
that  the  course  of  humanity  is  ever  upward.  Old 
diseases  fade  and  disappear,  and  new  maladies  ap- 
pear, but  man's  intelligence  improves  progressively, 
and  therapeutics  and  hygiene  advance  remarkably, 


182      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

cycle  by  cycle.  The  more  we  understand  natural 
law  the  more  are  we  protected  against  the  risks  of 
social,  moral  and  physical  decline. 

No  sexual  psychologist,  looking  at  the  past  pages 
of  human  development,  and  noting  the  present  mani- 
festations of  the  vita  sexualis,  can  doubt  that  we  are 
moving  upwards,  and,  very  slowly  though  it  may 
seem,  working  out  the  heritage  of  ages  of  fantastic 
as  contrasted  with  scientific  or  direct  thinking. 


PART  III 
EDUCATIONAL  FACTORS 


CHAPTER  I 

THE    HOME    TRAINING 


THE  lessons  learned  "  at  the  mother's  knee  "  leave  a 
deep-cut  impression  upon  the  child's  brain.  From 
the  age  of  three  till  nine  years  the  callow  mind  is 
highly  receptive  and  retentive,  and  that  which  is 
stamped  upon  it  is  likely  to  remain  throughout  life, 
tincturing  thought  and  actuating  moral  conduct. 

There  are  defined  cycles  in  sex  development.  The 
first  cycle  may  be  said  to  begin  with  consciousness 
in  the  new-born  infant.  In  this  infantile  stage  spon- 
taneous sexual  manifestations  are  wont  to  occur. 
Sexuality  in  a  young  child  is  in  the  subconscious, 
and  no  knowledge  of  the  meaning  of  physical  sensa- 
tions exists  in  the  brain  of  the  infant.  Neverthe- 
less, self-gratification,  or  auto-erotism,  has  been 
noted  in  many  instances  in  children  of  both  sexes 
before  the  age  of  three.  These  infantile  experiences 
are  apt  to  re-echo  throughout  life.  Analytical  psy- 
chologists of  our  day  have  asserted  that  the  sub- 
conscious racial  force  in  the  child  may  be  heightened 
by  undue  caressing  and  fondling  by  uninstructed 
parents  and  elders.  It  is  therefore  necessary  to 
avoid  all  the  stimuli  likely  to  intensify  precocity.  A 

185 


1 86   A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

few  typical  instances  of  the  arousing  of  the  sex  or- 
gans into  activity,  taken  from  actual  cases,  may  be 
given  here  for  the  guidance  of  parents  and  teachers. 

A  little  boy,  long  before  the  age  of  puberty,  may 
experience  pleasurable  feelings  associated  with  the 
sex  organs.  Such  feelings  may  be  manifest  while 
swarming  up  a  pole,  in  swinging,  riding,  and  by 
other  mechanical  means.  It  must  not  be  supposed 
that  gymnastics  are  erotic  excitants  in  the  majority 
of  cases.  Probably  the  very  reverse  is  the  truth. 
But  certain  forms  of  stimulation  in  specific  subjects 
may  produce  unfamiliar  and  bewildering  sensations. 
We  must  not  forbid  swinging  because  one  girl  of 
six  experiences  for  the  first  time  an  unwonted  feel- 
ing connected  with  the  racial  organs.  This  form 
of  healthful  exercise  may  have  no  such  effect  upon 
a  hundred  other  children.  It  is,  however,  supremely 
important  that  the  parent  should  realise  that  the  ca- 
pacity for  these  experiences  exists  in  many  young 
children.  To  be  forewarned  is  to  be  forearmed. 

Lying  in  an  overheated  bed  may  stimulate  pre- 
maturely the  sexual  nerves  of  a  boy  or  girl.  Occa- 
sionally there  is  a  congestion  of  the  blood  vessels 
of  the  reproductive  parts,  leading  to  turgescence  or 
swelling.  This  may  occur  in  the  case  of  the  health- 
iest of  children,  and  without  any  trace  of  sexual 
thought.  It  is  often  a  result  of  too  hot  baths,  pos- 
ture, warmth,  stimulating  foods  or  a  full  bladder. 
These  physical  manifestations  are  apt  to  direct  the 
attention  to  the  organs  and  may  lead  to  handling. 
In  this  way  the  habit  of  masturbation  frequently  be- 


THE  HOME  TRAINING  187 

gins  in  children  who  have  no  inkling  of  sex  matters. 

Parents  should  know  that  the  range  of  auto- 
erotism  is  very  wide.  Masturbation  or  "  self- 
abuse  "  is  only  one  form  of  the  many  phenomena. 
The  sexual  system  is  so  widely  diffused  that  many 
apparently  unrelated  nerves  and  organs  may  be- 
come erogenous  centres.  A  sensation  in  the  skin 
of  almost  any  part  of  the  body  may  send  a  message 
to  the  brain  and  arouse  perturbation.  It  has  been 
noted  that  even  the  eye,  under  certain  kinds  of  stim- 
ulation, may  exhibit  an  extraordinary  sympathy 
with  the  reproductive  apparatus.  Such  affectability 
may  be  abnormal  and  excessive ;  but  the  existence 
of  erogenous  zones  in  parts  of  the  body  remote  from 
the  sexual  organs  is  a  normal  condition.  The  pur- 
posive retention  of  the  contents  of  the  bowels,  fairly 
common  among  children,  and  often  leading  to  ob- 
stinate constipation,  is  stated  to  be  a  form  of  auto- 
erotic  satisfaction. 

The  most  active  erotic  spheres  are  the  mucous 
membranes  of  the  lips,  the  vagina  and  the  penis; 
but  these  acutely  sensitive  parts  are  linked  up  with 
the  whole  nervous  system,  the  vital  organs  and  the 
brain.  We  speak  of  loving  with  the  heart.  The 
ancients  regarded  the  liver  as  the  seat  of  amatory 
passion.  No  thoughtful  person  will  dispute  that  the 
love  impulse  causes  a  thrill  to  the  innermost  nerve 
of  the  organism.  A  fervent  kiss  of  affection  stirs 
the  very  deepest  emotions  of  the  soul  as  notably  as 
it  electrifies  the  body.  Love  shows  us  great  mys- 
teries of  psyche  (mind  or  spirit)  and  soma  (body). 


i88      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

It  is  the  duty  of  parents  to  acquaint  their  minds 
with  the  general  natural  laws  directing  the  con- 
tinuance of  the  race.  They  should  know  that  sex 
is  never  absolutely  dormant  from  infancy  to  senes- 
cence. So  keen  is  the  zeal  of  Nature  for  the  per- 
petuation of  the  species  that  she  has  contrived  end- 
less cunning  devices  for  furthering  reproduction. 
Nor  is  sex  solely  the  means  of  replenishing  the  earth. 
The  sex  or  reproductive  cells  act  and  react  upon  the 
growth  or  body  cells.  The  secretions  that  make  the 
race  make  the  unit,  the  man  and  the  woman.  A 
hardened  ovary  in  the  woman  affects  her  physical 
system,  her  brain,  and  her  emotional  and  intellectual 
being.  The  castrated  man  exhibits  bodily  and  men- 
tal and  moral  changes.  An  extract  from  the  pitu- 
itary gland,  administered  to  a  woman,  may  produce 
remarkable  results  in  child-birth,  hastening  and  eas- 
ing parturition.  The  secretion  from  the  thyroid 
gland  in  the  neck  often  governs  human  individual 
destiny.  Disorder  of  this  organ  may  cause  goitre, 
and  it  is  well  known  that  the  thyroid  is  affected 
during  menstruation. 

This  sway  of  sex  to  the  remotest  quarters  of  the 
body,  with  its  dominance  in  the  innermost  recesses 
of  the  conscious  and  subconscious  mind,  is  a  pro- 
found fact  of  human  life  revealed  by  science.  We 
cannot  place  the  activities  of  the  generative  cells  as 
something  apart  from  the  general  activity  of  the 
body.  The  waning  of  sexual  vigour  seems  to  in- 
fluence the  productivity  of  the  brain.  Virility  is  an 
essential  of  mental  efficiency  and  capacity  for  intel- 


THE  HOME  TRAINING  189 

lectual  energy.  If  the  sex  functions  are  performed 
normally  and  healthily,  there  is  a  harmonious  work- 
ing of  the  human  machine. 

It  is  apparent  that  parental  care  is  vitally  im- 
portant during  the  period  of  infancy  and  early  child- 
hood. When  it  is  understood  that  the  natural  spon- 
taneous arousing  of  sexuality  is  inevitable,  those 
who  are  concerned  for  the  well-being  of  the  young 
will  refrain  from  stimulating  this  activity  by  in- 
judicious excitants  in  diet,  recreations  and  caresses 
that  evoke  premature  sensations  in  susceptible  chil- 
dren. Late  hours  and  over-excitement  must  be 
avoided.  Town  life  has  a  tendency  to  foster  pre- 
cocity in  a  child.  It  would  be  well  if  all  young 
children  could  spend  most  of  their  time  in  the  coun- 
try, and  be  encouraged  to  live  as  much  as  possible 
out  of  doors. 

The  risk  of  masturbation  must  be  faced.  This 
habit  may  become  excessive  in  very  young  children 
through  irritation  in  the  external  genital  organs. 
Secretions  from  the  glans-penis  in  boys  may  cause 
smegma,  which  provokes  intense  itching  under  the 
prepuce  or  foreskin.  This  possibility  should  be  rec- 
ognised, and  means  employed  for  keeping  the  glans 
clean.  If  a  boy  or  girl  is  apt  to  touch  and  rub  the 
organs,  some  irritation  should  be  suspected.  This 
is  a  serious  matter  demanding  plain  speech.  Cir- 
cumcision lessens  the  chances  of  irritation,  and  it  is 
stated  to  be  a  preventive  of  nocturnal  enuresis  or  in- 
continence of  urine.  It  is  supposed  that  the  chances 
of  bad  habits  are  lessened  by  directing  boys  to  force 


190      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

back  the  prepuce  below  the  corona,  and  some  par- 
ents, on  medical  advice,  encourage  this  practice. 
There  is,  however,  in  the  opinion  of  some  persons, 
some  risk  in  this  preventive  measure.  The  neces- 
sary handling  of  the  organ  may  give  rise  to  volup- 
tuous feeling,  and  masturbation  may  result.  Vecki 
condemns  this  practice  as  very  likely  to  produce  the 
evil  that  it  is  intended  to  prevent.  But  it  seems 
obvious  that  the  external  parts  in  children  of  both 
sexes  should  be  washed  regularly.  Care  is  neces- 
sary lest  undue  -concentration  of  interest  may  be 
directed  to  the  organs  in  childhood. 

Besides  the  spontaneous  and  automatic  arousal 
of  sex  feeling,  there  are  numerous  external  stimula- 
tions which  foster  auto-erotic  gratification.  Bad 
example  of  playmates  is  a  common  cause.  Servants 
sometimes  incite  to  these  habits  by  manipulations  of 
quite  young  children.  Ignorant  mothers  in  the 
lower  classes  have  been  known  to  use  this  means 
to  keep  restless  infants  quiet.  Overfeeding  upon 
stimulating  foods  may  quicken  the  impulse.  Cloth- 
ing, if  tight  around  the  genitalia,  may  cause  irrita- 
tion and  congestion.  Heavy  coverings  on  the  bed 
cause  restlessness  and  a  flow  of  blood  to  the  organs. 
Suggestion  in  conversation  may  act  injuriously,  es- 
pecially in  the  case  of  acutely  intelligent  children. 
The  need  for  a  reverent  attitude  to  sex  is  extremely 
urgent. 

Girls  are  not  less  likely  than  boys  to  acquire  the 
auto-erotic  habit  through  irritations,  which  occur  in 
the  vulva  and  clitoris.  The  early  wearing  of  stays 


THE  HOME  TRAINING  191 

is  said  to  cause  precocious  sexuality.  When  it  is 
known  that  a  degenerate  cult  of  tight  corset-wearers 
exists,  with  a  journal  devoted  to  their  craze,  the  re- 
lation between  tight  lacing  and  sex  hyperaesthesia 
(heightened  feeling)  seems  to  be  well  established. 
There  are  many  reasons  why  the  clothing  of  girls 
should  be  as  loose  as  possible. 

ii 

The  vague  and  unsuspected  curiosity  and  the  auto- 
matic manifestations  of  the  infantile  stage  are  fol- 
lowed by  a  period  in  which  sex  seems  to  be  latent 
or  dormant  in  the  child.  This  is  the  play  age,  when 
a  number  of  engrossing  interests  and  activities  ab- 
sorb most  of  the  energy  of  healthy  children.  There 
may  be  a  positive  resistance  to  sexual  emotion  in 
all  forms.  Boys  begin  to  show  a  distaste  for  the 
companionship  of  girls,  and  girls  speak  contemptu- 
ously of  boys.  The  boy  seems  anxious  to  escape 
from  feminine  influence.  He  may  tease  his  sisters 
and  resist  the  maternal  rule.  He  wishes  to  break 
away  from  the  mother's  knee,  and  he  is  wont  to  re- 
sent the  control  of  both  parents.  "  Awkwardness  " 
arises  in  both  sexes  during  this  prepubertal  develop- 
ment. Children  "  get  a  little  out  of  hand,"  and  be- 
come "  trying." 

This  stage  is  characterised  by  immense  activity. 
Play  is  vigorous,  often  to  the  point  of  extreme 
fatigue.  There  is  a  desire  to  cast  off  all  infantile 
restraints.  The  child  delights  in  being  thought  a 
big  boy  or  a  big  girl.  The  immature  sentiment  of 


192      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

companions  who  have  attained  puberty  is  derided  by 
the  juvenile  of  nine  to  twelve.  Nothing  bores  the 
boy  more  than  allusions  to  love  and  sentimentalism. 
Stories  about  lovers  are  rejected  with  intense  scorn. 
There  is  preoccupation  with  games  and  sports,  a 
thirst  for  exciting  adventure,  and  a  developing  taste 
for  hobbies. 

The  inactivity  of  the  sex  cells  at  this  period  is  ap- 
parently necessary  for  the  growth  of  the  body  or 
somatic  cells.  Growth  is  rapid  and  the  appetite 
almost  insatiable.  The  system  calls  for  ample  nu- 
trition, and  there  is  great  expenditure  of  physical 
force. 

Although  there  is  not  an  active  consciousness  of 
sex  differences  at  this  stage,  the  infantile  impres- 
sions and  influences  remain  in  the  subconscious 
mind.  These  impressions  reawaken  strangely  as 
puberty  approaches.  This  third  period  is  even  more 
important  than  the  first.  During  the  latent  cycle 
there  has  been  a  steady,  graduated  preparation  for 
the  great  awakening  of  pubescence. 

The  life  of  the  girl  in  the  dormant  period  is  nat- 
urally like  that  of  the  boy.  Though  she  displays 
less  muscular  exuberance,  she  is  fond  of  romps  and 
play.  Her  sex  consciousness  slumbers  in  most  nor- 
mal instances;  but  she  may  continue  to  lavish  care 
upon  dolls,  and  express  a  mild  interest  in  the  en- 
gagements or  weddings  of  friends.  She  would  like 
to  run  wild  and  play  as  boys  play ;  but  usually  she 
is  reminded  that  the  rough-and-tumble  diversions  of 
her  brothers  are  not  proper  for  girls.  As  the  fe- 


THE  HOME  TRAINING  193 

male  mind  and  body  develop  more  rapidly  than  the 
male,  the  girl  is  "  older  "  than  the  boy  by  what  may 
be  called  a  two  years'  start.  She  accumulates  more 
fatty  tissue  and  less  muscle  than  her  brother.  Her 
inclination  for  robust  exercises  is  often  stronger 
than  her  physical  capacity.  She  tends  to  become 
anaemic  or  chlorotic.  Her  emotionality  is  somewhat 
more  marked  than  that  of  the  boy.  She  cries  more 
readily,  exhibits  more  affectableness  and  is  more 
liable  to  pique.  These  tendencies  are  greatly  ac- 
centuated by  conventional  nurture  at  home  and  at 
school. 

in 

The  crisis  of  puberty  ushers  in  adolescence.  Sex- 
awakening,  arising  from  marked  internal  and  ex- 
ternal changes  in  the  body,  accompanies  the  full 
birth  of  the  psyche  or  spirit.  This  period  may  be 
described  as  the  novitiate  for  manhood  and  woman- 
hood. It  is  the  age  of  wonder,  dreams,  longings, 
instability,  development  and  variation.  In  boys  the 
period  begins  at  about  fifteen  and  in  girls  at  about 
fourteen.  At  twenty  we  say  that  a  youth  is  reach- 
ing the  adult  age,  and  at  eighteen  we  regard  the  girl 
as  a  young  woman. 

Puberty  in  man  is  a  stage  on  the  journey  to  ma- 
turity, marked  chiefly  by  the  new  capacity  for  erotic 
emotion  and  potency  for  the  continuation  of  the 
race.  There  is  some  change  in  bone  structure. 
The  mysterious  thymus  gland  vanishes.  Organs  of 
the  throat  develop  and  the  tone  of  the  voice  changes. 


i94      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

Hair  appears  upon  parts  of  the  body.  There  is 
growth  of  the  organs  of  reproduction.  The  seed  of 
humanity  begins  to  form  in  the  seminal  vessels  and 
the  testicles,  and  the  secretion  plays  its  dual  part  in 
the  upkeep  of  the  body  and  the  generative  function. 
This  alteration  in  the  metabolism  or  chemistry  of  the 
body  has  an  enormous  influence  upon  the  brain  and 
the  emotions.  The  internal  secretions,  mingling 
with  the  blood  stream,  arouse  the  soul  of  man  and 
woman.  These  hormones  (arousers)  are  the  love- 
awakeners.  From  their  activity  springs  that  glori- 
ous efflorescence,  the  love  of  the  sexes  and  parental 
affection. 

It  has  been  discovered  that  lessened  action  of  the 
pituitary  gland  will  induce  infantile  or  arrested  de- 
velopment of  sex.  Thyroid  affections  may  cause 
atrophy  of  the  sexual  organs.  Sex  precocity  has 
been  related  to  a  condition  of  the  suprarenal  cap- 
sules. Puberty  and  body  growth  are  probably  as- 
sociated with  the  adrenal  organ.  From  the  ovary 
of  the  woman  is  secreted  a  fluid  that  is  essential  for 
the  general  healthy  functioning  of  the  body  and  for 
the  immense  changes  of  the  pubertal  period.  From 
the  hormone  of  the  testicle  are  derived  the  influences 
that  govern  bone  development  in  young  men.  The 
cortex  of  the  brain  and  the  organs  of  generation  are 
mutually  dependent  upon  one  another.  Can  any 
doubt  remain  that  the  whole  bodily  system  is  in- 
volved in  love  and  reproduction? 

When  we  have  learned  that  the  amorous,  or 
strongly  sexed,  woman  is  so  by  reason  of  a  free 


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ovarian  secretion,  and  that  the  potent  and  lusty  man 
owes  his  idiosyncrasy  to  a  liberal  testicular  secretion, 
we  have  at  least  discovered  that  a  powerful  erotic 
capacity  is  not  in  itself  a  sign  of  moral  inferiority, 
but  a  perfectly  natural  phenomenon.  And  the  pos- 
session of  this  knowledge  is  at  least  an  indication  to 
persons  thus  endowed  by  nature  that  the  conflict  be- 
tween innate  desire  and  the  observance  of  the  moral 
sexual  code  must  be  waged  by  them  with  reason  and 
vigilance.  We  are  thus  enabled  by  science  to  shape, 
temper  and  adapt  our  ethical  standards  in  the  diffi- 
cult question  of  sex  ethics  and  our  attitude  towards 
those  who  perplex  us  by  their  aberrations. 

The  erotic  excitement  attendant  upon  puberty  has 
frequently  no  connection  whatever  with  deliberate 
willing  or  volition.  Such  excitement  may  occur  in 
an  entirely  ignorant  child.  In  puberty  the  accumu- 
lation of  seminal  fluid  in  the  organs  and  the  stirring 
of  the  internal  hormones  in  the  brain  often  take  a 
youth  unawares  and  set  up  a  novel  craving.  The 
same  must  be  said  in  the  case  of  the  ovarian  hor- 
mone in  the  maiden.  This  arousing  is  independent 
of  the  will.  It  is  not  the  voice  of  Satan,  but  the 
prompting  of  Dame  Nature.  That  the  whisper  may 
incite  to  Satanic  ends  is  perfectly  true;  but  the 
arousing  is  often  unavoidable. 

This  physiological  stimulation  is  not  of  the  same 
order  as  the  excitation  arising  from  purposive 
thought  of  an  erotic  character.  The  impotent  man 
and  the  woman  with  ovarian  deficiency  may  be 
aroused,  though  the  physical  stimulation  is  absent. 


196      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

Just  as  an  abundance  of  sperm  will  cause  a  message 
to  the  brain,  and  evoke  longing,  so  will  a  thought 
in»  the  brain  convey  a  message  to  the  organs  of  sex. 
It  often  happens  that  the  psychic  activity  fails  to 
produce  response  in  the  sexual  nerves.  In  these 
cases  there  is  abnormality,  an  under-sexed  condition, 
or  sexual  neurasthenia. 

The  expulsion  of  semen  during  sleep,  an  occur- 
rence that  greatly  alarms  a  very  considerable  num- 
ber of  adolescents,  is  a  typical  automatic  phenom- 
enon. Undoubtedly  voluptuous  dreams  may  be  fre- 
quent, through  dwelling  upon  erotic  fancies  during 
the  day ;  but  in  many  instances  they  are  entirely  un- 
sought and  unwelcome.  Deliberate  self-excitation 
during  the  waking  hours  is  on  a  different  plane.  In 
this  case  the  action  is  volitional  and  determined  by 
reflection.  • 

As  restraint  upon  the  libido  sexualis  in  mankind 
is  imperative  for  the  security  and  welfare  of  the 
community,  the  power  of  inhibition  necessarily  be- 
comes highly  developed  in  the  finer  types.  Indi- 
viduals of  a  low  quality  of  brain  development  are 
frequently  deficient  in  this  power  of  control,  and 
in  insanity  it  is  often  entirely  absent.  The  neces- 
sity for  due  inhibition  must  be  impressed  upon 
young  people  in  whom  the  instinct  is  strong,  easily 
aroused  and  precociously  developed. 

It  is  essential,  therefore,  that  the  adolescent  should 
understand  the  physical  and  psychical  inter-relation 
of  the  erotic  impulse,  and  this  necessitates  plain 
physiological  teaching  at  the  right  age.  Hygienic 


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counsel  should  be  given  in  reference  to  the  stimuli 
arising  from  within.  For  example,  a  youth  should 
know  that  a  full  bladder  is  apt  to  provoke  tumes- 
cence,  or  engorgement,  of  the  sex  organs,  and  that 
the  excitation  produced  is  not  to  be  regarded  as  a 
normal  prompting  of  nature.  There  are  postures 
also,  such  as  sleeping  on  the  back,  that  cause  sexual 
tension.  Pressure  from  clothing  is  another  irritant 
and  may  produce  a  condition  of  hypersesthesia  of 
the  genital  region. 

The  psychic  factors  must  be  reckoned  with. 
Highly  excitable  adolescents  should  not  permit  fre- 
quent mental  preoccupation  with  amorous  images, 
such  as  exciting  pictures  and  sensuous  literature. 
That  which  may  be  quite  harmless  for  one  type  of 
young  man  or  young  woman  may  be  harmful  for 
another.  A  wise  parent  or  teacher  will  strive  to 
understand  the  diversity  in  idiosyncrasy,  and  to  di- 
rect the  aesthetic  taste  in  wholesome  fields.  But  this 
safeguarding  should  not  savour  of  prudery,  nor  be 
exercised  in  an  arbitrary  and  drastic  manner. 
Much  immorality  is  engendered  by  harsh  severity 
and  a  bigoted  condemnation. 

The  free  social  intercourse  of  adolescent  boys  and 
girls  is  wholesome  and  prophylactic.  Segregation 
of  the  sexes  breeds  morbidities,  heightens  sex  curi- 
osity, and  intensifies  cravings.  Friendships  between 
the  sexes  in  youth  are  to  be  encouraged.  Early  love 
may  have  a  restraining  and  elevating  influence,  even 
though  evanescent,  for  in  adolescence  there  is  a 
tendency  to  spiritualise  and  idealise  the  passion  that 


198      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

attracts  the  sexes  one  to  the  other,  and  the  more 
sensuous  elements  are  in  abeyance.  Pre-conjugal 
chastity  is  more  often  observed  by  the  romantic 
young  man  who  falls  fervently  and  seriously  in  love 
than  by  his  unemotional  comrade. 

That  sexual  intercourse  in  adolescent  males  is 
far  from  being  exceptional  is  shown  by  the  fact 
that  a  large  number  of  young  men  contract  gonor- 
rhoea before  the  adult  age.  This  affection  is  often 
present  in  girls  who  do  not  make  mercenary  con- 
nections, and  are  sometimes  looked  upon  as  entirely 
innocent  of  sexual  irregularity.  Singular  ignorance 
exists,  even  among  youths  who  mix  freely  in  varied 
company,  concerning  venereal  diseases;  and  a  large 
number  of  girls,  from  whom  all  knowledge  of  sex 
has  been  cautiously  obscured,  know  nothing  what- 
ever of  the  existence  of  this  danger.  In  country 
districts  many  adolescent  girls  are  quite  ignorant 
in  this  respect,  and  they  are  not  infrequently  in- 
fected by  strangers  from  the  towns. 

Athletics,  sports,  hobbies,  friendships  and  con- 
genial study  or  work  that  engrosses  are  counter- 
excitants  tending  to  the  preservation  of  chastity. 
There  is  no  doubt  that  certain  occupations  in  youth 
may  induce  desire.  Sedentary  work  is  often  provo- 
cative through  insufficient  expenditure  of  physical 
force.  Over-study  may  excite.  A  medical  man 
tells  me  that  while  "  cramming  "  for  an  examina- 
tion in  his  young  days  he  was  surprised  to  find 
himself  in  a  constant  condition  of  erethism.  Dur- 
ing anxiety  about  passing  examinations  there  is  often 


THE  HOME  TRAINING  199 

broken  sleep,  feverishness  and  tension,  producing 
sexual  excitement  in  some  instances.  It  is  indeed 
extremely  difficult  to  expel  or  avoid  all  the  stimuli 
from  the  lives  of  the  ardent  and  vigorous.  As  G. 
Stanley  Hall  indicates,  these  incitements  are  mani- 
fold, insidious,  and  liable  to  prove  intrusive  during 
the  very  period  when  we  need  all  our  vital  force 
for  the  struggle  for  existence. 

The  lack  or  insufficiency  of  outdoor  exercise  has 
much  to  answer  for  in  the  production  of  height- 
ened and  perverse  sex  feeling.  Vecki  ranks  this 
want  of  outdoor  life  as  one  of  the  leading  causes 
of  masturbation.  Sluggishness  of  body  leaves  us 
exposed  to  undue  urging  of  the  sexual  instinct, 
whereas  muscular  activity  uses  up  a  large  part  of 
vitality.  Ancient  wisdom  represented  the  chaste 
Diana  as  a  huntress.  I  have  already  referred  to 
the  imperative  need  for  more  healthful  recreation 
in  the  open  air,  and  a  shortening  of  the  hours  con- 
sumed in  the  fight  for  subsistence.  There  is  little 
doubt  that  the  unhealthy  nervous  overstrain  of  sed- 
entary and  city  life  accentuates  morbid  sexuality. 

IV 

Quite  well-meaning  parents  still  persist  in  the 
practice  of  corporal  punishment,  through  an  igno- 
rance of  its  potentiality  for  evil.  Chastisement  on 
the  bare  body  is  a  form  of  satisfaction  sought  by 
a  large  number  of  sex  perverts  in  all  the  civilised 
nations.  This  voluntary  endurance  of  pain  for  the 
obtaining  of  pleasure  is  one  of  the  forms  of  the 


200      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

perversion  classified  as  Masochism  or  algolagnia. 
Masoch,  an  Austrian  novelist,  has  related  his  own 
experiences  of  this  pleasure-pain,  and  whipping  is 
a  fashionable  vice  of  most  large  cities  in  Europe. 
Rousseau  states  that  he  sought  this  punishment  from 
his  governess  after  discovering  its  attraction.  Many 
cases  of  algolagnia  are  recorded  by  writers  on  the 
t  abnormal  psychology  of  sex. 

In  spite  of  the  large  weight  of  scientific  authority 
and  the  growing  view  of  educational  reformers,  we 
continue  to  employ  the  rod  for  the  correction  of 
youth  in  the  home  and  the  school.  "  This  brutally 
empiric  aphrodisiac,"  as  Dr.  Vecki  terms  it,  is  a 
relic  of  past  ignorance  and  violence.  There  is  no 
doubt  that  in  the  case  of  susceptible  boys  flogging 
on  the  nates  or  the  back  arouses  the  nerves  of  the 
spinal  cord  that  cause  sexual  desire.  Even  the 
witnessing  of  flogging  has  this  result  in  some  per- 
sons. Ample  testimony  to  this  is  to  be  found  in 
the  scientific  discussions  of  the  question,  and  in  the 
annals  of  cruelty  and  torture  in  all  ages.  The  re- 
gion involved  in  flagellation  is  supplied  with  the 
same  nerve  as  the  sexual  region.  Hence  the  prob- 
ability of  stimulation. 

Besides  the  resulting  risk  of  auto-erotic  practice 
attending  upon  flogging,  there  is  the  danger  that  a 
latent  predisposition  to  Masochism  may  be  aroused, 
and  flagellomania  may  become  a  confirmed  passion. 

The  effect  of  performing  castigation  has  also  been 
considered  by  expert  psychologists  and  it  is  well 
known  that  some  eminent  birching  pedagogues  have 


THE  HOME  TRAINING  201 

been  victims  of  morbid  obsession.  Ellis  cites  the 
instance  of  Udall,  an  Eton  headmaster,  celebrated 
for  his  frequent  use  of  the  birch,  who  admitted 
gross  conduct  with  his  pupils.  It  is  probably  certain 
that  the  huge  majority  of  those  who  employ  bodily 
punishment  do  so  with  the  sincere  conviction  that 
their  means  are  beneficial  to  children;  and  it  is  not 
to  be  supposed  that  many  ardent  disciplinarians  find 
pleasure  in  imposing  pain  which  is  deemed  neces- 
sary. Moreover,  the  average  parent  and  teacher 
know  nothing  of  the  risks  which  have  been  pointed 
out.  They  follow  with  good  faith  an  old  and  time- 
respected  tradition  of  juvenile  training. 

If  parents  were  better  equipped  for  observing 
childish  traits  and  hidden  propensities,  they  would 
learn  that  many  children  show  what  seems  to  be 
abnormal  interest  -in  the  subject  of  whipping.  In 
three  personal  records  of  the  development  of  the 
sex  instinct  out  of  twelve,  sent  to  Havelock  Ellis, 
the  writers  allude  to  their  juvenile  attraction  to  this 
topic.  I  have  met  both  men  and  women  who  recall 
this  preoccupation  of  childhood.  Children  fre- 
quently play  at  whipping  one  another.  Krafft- 
Ebing  gives  the  instance  of  a  woman  who  was 
playfully  whipped  by  a  man  friend  of  her  father  at 
the  age  of  five.  "  Since  then  she  has  always  longed 
to  be  caned."  In  some  cases  self-flagellation  is 
practised.  Reverdun,  a  Swiss  alienist,  recounts  the 
instance  of  a  girl  patient  who  made  a  formidable 
whip  with  twelve  lashes  for  flogging  herself. 

We  are  led  by  a  great  mass  of  scientific  evidence 


202      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

to  the  conclusion  that  in  the  case  of  some  children, 
if  not  of  all,  there  is  an  element  of  menace  in  the 
infliction  of  corporal  chastisement.  It  is  doubtful 
whether  the  stick  has  ever  sharpened  the  dull  wits 
of  a  born  dunce,  or  quickened  normal  discernment 
in  the  brain  of  a  mental  defective.  The  disciplinary 
value  of  castigation  is  doubtful  in  almost  all  cases, 
though  G.  Stanley  Hall  thinks  that  such  correction 
may  be  beneficial  in  the  case  of  some  types  of  boys. 


While  there  has  been  a  tendency  in  the  past  to 
exaggerate  the  evils  arising  from  masturbation, 
modern  scientific  opinion  remains  divided  as  to 
the  degree  of  harmfulness  in  auto-erotic  practices. 
Some  eminent  medical  investigators  have  been  un- 
able to  trace  any  serious  nervous  consequences  in 
instances  of  moderate  indulgence,  though  they  con- 
demn the  habit  upon  moral  and  aesthetic  grounds. 
Other  physicians  of  high  standing  attribute  neu- 
rasthenic symptoms,  impotence,  disinclination  for 
normal  intercourse  and  minor  local  affections. 

Some  writers  believe  that  neurasthenia  may  be  a 
result  of  excess,  and  others  ascribe  dullness  of  brain 
in  the  young,  physical  listlessness  and  heightened 
emotionableness.  The  gross  over-statements  of  a 
past  school  of  medical  and  ethical  writers  have  been 
exposed  by  a  number  of  contemporary  authorities; 
and  it  has  been  repeatedly  stated  in  recent  years,  by 
general  practitioners,  neurologists  and  psychiatrists, 
that  the  extravagant  and  highly  alarming  pronounce- 


THE  HOME  TRAINING  203 

ments  of  unscientific,  though  often  well-intentioned, 
writers  have  produced  some  of  the  very  results  at- 
tributed to  the  practice  itself.1 

The  possible  injuries  resulting  from  masturbation 
are  mostly  of  a  moral  and  emotional  character. 
Careful  research  proves  that  this  excitation  and  nerv- 
ous taxation  in  adolescence  is  harmful.  If  the  habit 
is  begun  in  childhood,  before  the  actual  virile  age, 
weakening  of  the  nervous  system  may  be  the  pen- 
alty. One  of  the  chief  risks  of  auto-erotism  is  the 
fact  that  indulgence  can  be  far  more  frequent  than 
sexual  intercourse.  The  opportunities  are  always 
present  and  the  chances  of  extreme  excess  are  high. 
Bloch,  who  is  not  disposed  to  the  extremist  view, 
states,  nevertheless,  that  "  solitary  vice  influences 
the  psychic  and  the  character  in  the  mere  child." 
He  traces  moroseness,  hypochondria,  shyness,  and 
love  of  solitude  to  inveterate  self -gratification. 
Some  authorities  attribute  neurasthenic  signs  and 
restless,  high-strung  symptoms  to  the  habitual  auto- 
erotic  subject. 

The  formation  of  the  habit  sometimes  induces  a 
distaste  for  marriage.  It  is  apt  to  foster  misogyny 
in  man  and  misanthropy  in  woman.  Some  mastur- 
bators  seem  incapable  of  falling  in  love  in  a  natural 
manner ;  and  those  who  have  wasted  their  power  and 

1  Reference  may  be  made  to  Havelock  Ellis,  Studies  in  the 
Psychology  of  Sex;  Bloch,  The  Sexual  Life  of  Our  Time; 
Northcote,  Christianity  and  Sex  Problems;  Stanley  Hall, 
Adolescence;  Robie,  Rational  Sex  Ethics;  Gallichan,  Psychol- 
°9y  °f  Marriage;  Bigelow,  Sex  Education;  Forel,  The  Sexual 
Question. 


204      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

nervous  force  experience  dread  lest  they  may  be 
unable  to  consummate  wedlock  physically. 

The  practice  renders  some  young  men  blase  and 
cynical,  and  causes  some  women  to  adopt  an  atti- 
tude of  false  modesty  towards  the  sexual  side  of 
conjugality.  There  is  the  possibility  of  a  disincli- 
nation for  normal  intercourse.  Capacity  for  nor- 
mal satisfaction  may  cease  in  both  sexes,  and  in 
this  abnormality  we  have  the  root  of  several  forms 
of  sex  perversion.  Psychic  recoils  against  the  ordi- 
nary expression  and  satisfaction  are  induced.  The 
extraordinary  is  craved.  Abnormal  ideas  develop 
and  lead  to  abnormal  practices.  Perversity  in  this 
respect  may  shatter  the  chances  of  a  harmonious 
marriage.  The  imagination  is  wont  to  exercise  it- 
self upon  bizarre  forms  of  sexual  pleasure,  and 
when  the  mind  has  dwelt  for  long  upon  such  images 
confirmed  perversions  of  a  disastrous  character  may 
be  the  result. 

Besides  the  too  constant  stimulation  of  the  genital 
system,  there  is  the  mental  and  moral  conflict,  which 
is  rarely  absent  among  the  educated  and  higher 
types  of  man  and  woman.  The  struggle  between 
the  insistent  force  of  the  desires,  often  rendered 
excessive  by  indulgence,  and  the  ethical  or  religious 
sense,  may  become  intolerable.  Remorse  for  this 
practice  has  caused  some  of  the  intensest  mental 
suffering  known  to  humanity.  Sometimes  there  is 
an  acute  self-loathing  and  a  weariness  of  life.  At- 
tempts are  made  to  destroy  the  habit,  and  each  lapse 
from  continence  brings  dire  contrition  and  a  sense 


THE  HOME  TRAINING  205 

of  despair.  Revolt  against  the  normal  love  of  the 
sexes  and  a  reaction  against  the  sexual  scheme  of 
nature  are  common  consequences.  There  may  be 
an  exalted  profession  of  purity,  chastity  and  spirit- 
uality in  those  whose  imagination  is  steeped  in  sen- 
suality. The  prudery  of  the  masturbator  is  some- 
times a  social  menace,  for  his  or  her  views  upon  the 
subject  of  sex  are  unbalanced,  deeply  prejudiced 
and  distorted. 

Love,  tenderness,  sympathy  and  understanding 
are  the  means  that  should  be  used  in  aiding  the 
sufferer  to  overcome  the  propensity.  A  conversa- 
tion with  a  tactful  and  intelligent  physician  may  be 
helpful.  All  "  scare  literature  "  must  be  avoided. 
Sometimes  the  acquisition  of  a  little  knowledge  of 
the  part  played  by  sex  in  human  destiny  gives  en- 
lightenment, explains  difficulties  and  temptations, 
and  inspires  control.  Psychoanalysis,  as  practised 
•by  the  new  school  of  mental  therapy,  is  the  best 
method  of  treatment  for  sex  obsessions,  aberrations 
and  complexes.  Little  reliance  can  be  placed  upon 
the  employment  of  drugs  or  hygiene  alone.  The 
cure  must  be  attempted  through  the  mind.  Full, 
open  confession  to  a  sympathetic  psychoanalyst  may 
work  wonders  when  other  methods  have  failed. 

VI 

Puberty  in  girls  is  marked  by  alterations  in  the 
bony  framework,  notably  in  the  pelvis  and  the  lower 
part  of  the  spinal  column.  There  are  muscular  de- 
velopment and  growth  of  the  breasts.  The  womb 


206      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

and  the  ovaries  enlarge,  and  there  are  changes  in  the 
structure  of  the  external  parts  of  reproduction. 
Psychic  development  is  equally  remarkable.  New 
emotions  are  likely  to  perplex  the  mind,  and  there 
are  invariability,  instability,  restlessness  and  quick 
transitions  of  mood.  Religion  may  appeal  deeply. 
An  enthusiasm  for  art,  for  study  or  for  philan- 
thropic activity  may  suddenly  appear. 

Attention  should  now  be  devoted  by  the  mother 
to  the  fresh  demands  of  nature  upon  the  girl  merg- 
ing from  childhood  to  reproductive  capability.  The 
"  mimic  pregnancy  "  of  menstruation  is  an  occur- 
rence for  which  the  girl  should  be  rationally  pre- 
pared by  the  mother.  It  is  unnecessary  to  reiterate 
the  numerous  risks  to  health  of  mind  and  body  that 
are  likely  to  be  encountered  when  girls  are  unin- 
formed as  to  the  purpose  and  the  normality  of  the 
monthly  crisis.  To  guard  against  the  probability 
of  hysteria,  nervous  ailment,  sex  repugnance  and 
derangements  of  the  ovarian  and  uterine  system, 
every  girl  should  receive  plain  physiological  and 
hygienic  counsel.  This  teaching  should  be  supple- 
mented by  conversation  upon  the  ethical  and  social 
aspects  of  love,  marriage  and  parentage. 

The  functions  of  the  body  can  be  guided  in  regu- 
larity by  intelligent  care  during  adolescence.  Much 
abnormality  and  disorder  of  menstruation  is  avoid- 
able. Over-exertion  at  the  period  is  always  risky, 
and  irregularity  may  result  from  insufficient  exer- 
cise between  the  cycles.  The  attitude  of  mind  to- 
wards the  periodic  manifestation  of  the  ripening  of 


THE  HOME  TRAINING  207 

the  ovum  has  influence  upon  the  right  performance 
of  function.  There  should  not  be  any  disgust  at 
this  process.  Its  great  racial  significance  should  be 
made  plain,  and  the  function  treated  with  a  sane 
respect  as  a  symbol  of  the  eternal  generative  energy 
of  nature. 

It  is  at  the  period  of  the  monthly  rhythm  that  a 
girl's  sex  emotion  is  likely  to  be  acutely  aroused  for 
the  first  time.  This  natural  prompting  is  rarely 
understood  by  girls  who  have  been  brought  up  with- 
out the  vaguest  enlightenment.  We  have  noted  that 
the  mingling  of  the  hormone  of  the  ovaries  with 
the  blood  influences  the  brain  and  the  psyche.  It 
should  be  known  that  this  periodic  arousing  of 
hitherto  inexperienced  emotion  may  expose  an  igno- 
rant young  woman  to  danger. 

Seduction  usually  overcomes  the  ill-prepared  vic- 
tims at  the  period  when  the  brain  is  eroticised. 
Moreover,  it  has  been  ascertained  that  auto-erotic 
obsessions  frequently  accompany  the  menstrual  cycle. 
Furthermore,  lapses  into  error,  misdemeanour  and 
crime  are  frequent  when  normal  control  is  lessened 
by  the  physical  and  psychic  ordeal.  We  may  state 
broadly  that  the  girl  is  often  "  not  quite  herself  " 
while  undergoing  this  periodic  process.  For  the 
manifestations  of  menstruation  are  not  simply  local 
and  physical.  They  affect  the  whole  organism,  to 
a  greater  or  a  less  extent,  according  to  constitution 
and  habit. 

When  a  girl  has  been  forewarned  concerning  this 
recurrent  slackening  of  inhibition,  she  is  at  least  pre- 


208      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

pared  to  exert  increased  corit/ol.  If  irritability,  de- 
pression or  discontent  cannot  be  banished  entirely 
by  those  prone  to  these  trials,  they  may  be  partially 
repressed  by  a  strong  effort  of  will.  It  is  at  least 
essential  that  a  young  woman  should  be  aware  of 
the  difficulties  which  she  may  be  compelled  to  face 
during  the  process  of  the  maturation  of  the  ovum 
in  the  womb.  As  women  physicians  have  pointed 
out,  this  phenomenon  should  not  be  "  a  most  alarm- 
ing incident "  in  a  girl's  life,  but  a  significant  and 
hopeful  happening. 

The  risks  of  unchastity  in  the  girl  are  fewer  than 
in  the  case  of  the  boy  —  that  is  to  say,  if  by  "  un- 
chastity "  we  connote  irregular  intercourse  of  the 
sexes.  But  it  is  the  view  of  a  considerable  number 
of  investigators  with  wide  medical  experience  that 
auto-erotism  is  even  more  prevalent  amongst  girls 
than  boys.  One  reason  for  this  view  must  be  at- 
tributed to  the  fact  that  many  adolescent  males  find 
gratification  in  temporary  liaisons  and  in  prostitu- 
tion. Another  factor  is  the  wider  diffusion  of  the 
sexual  sphere  or  erogenic  zones  in  the  female  sex. 
It  has  often  been  repeated  that  the  area  of  sensi- 
tivity is  localised  in  man.  In  woman  there  is  much 
greater  tendency  to  the  transference  of  the  zones 
to  various  parts  of  the  body,  especially  the  skin, 
the  breasts,  the  urethra  and  other  regions  enumer- 
ated by  sexual  physiologists.  From  the  evidence 
collected  from  women,  the  range  of  auto-erotic  ex- 
citation is  wider  in  the  female  sex  than  in  the  male. 


THE  HOME  TRAINING  209 

Ellis  thinks  that  "  after  adolescence  there  can  be  no 
doubt  that  masturbation  is  more  common  in  women 
than  in  men." 

Several  observers  have  noticed  the  frequency  of 
erotic  day-dreaming  among  young  women,  which  is 
indulged  in  for  the  purpose  of  gratification.  Pro- 
fessor Maurice  Bigelow  says  that  this  is  probably 
more  harmful,  than  mechanical  means,  and  that  "  it 
is  believed  to  be  more  common  in  young  women 
than  in  men."  The  ingenuity  of  women  in  all  civ- 
ilised countries  for  devising  auto-erotic  satisfactions 
is  a  remarkable  fact  in  the  psychology  of  sex.  Mas- 
turbation is  not  only  the  practice  of  civilised  races; 
it  is  prevalent  among  savages  of  some  tribes  and 
may  be  regarded  as  almost  universal.  Under  civil- 
isation there  is  a  tendency  for  the  habit  to  increase 
and  spread,  through  the  additional  stimuli,  deferred 
marriage,  example  and  suggestion. 

As  in  the  case  of  boys,  the  sedentary  lives  led  by 
many  girls,  and  occupational  factors,  foster  auto- 
erotism.  It  has  been  proved  that  the  treadle  sew- 
ing machine  produces  sex  excitement  in  some 
women.  Constipation  has  been  suggested  as  a 
source  of  irritation.  A  rich  diet  and  an  idle  life 
are  likely  to  arouse  erethism.  Overheated  rooms, 
lounging,  lack  of  interest  and  amusements,  and 
reading  inflammatory  love  stories  induce  erotic  fan- 
cies in  the  brain.  A  suitable  alternation  of  work 
and  play,  and  spells  of  rest,  are  very  necessary  for 
the  health  of  the  adolescent  girl. 


210      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

Excess  of  sentimentality  should  be  avoided  in 
the  upbringing  of  girls.  Broadly  speaking,  it  is  ad- 
vantageous to  harden  girls  and  to  soften  boys.  In 
some  cases  the  feminine  traits  are  over-developed 
in  girls,  and  many  boys  would  be  better  for  the 
inculcation  of  a  sense  of  pity  and  tenderness.  It  is 
the  sentimental,  impressionable  temperaments  that 
are  most  prone  to  auto-erotism.  We  must  not  pre- 
suppose that  this  tendency  is  only  found  among  the 
coarse-fibred  and  the  highly  sensual.  It  is  especially 
notable  in  the  artistic,  the  poetic,  the  spiritually  dis- 
posed and  the  refined  natures.  Such  types,  through 
the  vividness  of  the  imagination,  and  often  through 
an  inherited  amative  disposition,  are  more  exposed 
to  temptations  and  more  susceptible  to  suggestion 
than  the  phlegmatic,  the  unimaginative  and  the  dull. 

All  moral  counsel  regarding  this  practice  must  be 
judiciously  tempered  with  a  sympathetic  understand- 
ing of  human  nature,  and  especially  of  juvenile  hu- 
man nature.  We  who  have  passed  through  the  fires 
of  youthful  passion  should  never  forget  our  perils. 
Harsh  condemnation  and  severe  threats  and  pun- 
ishments rarely,  if  ever,  succeed.  These  methods 
encourage  more  or  less  resentment,  create  a  spirit 
of  distrust,  and  lessen  or  annihilate  good  feeling 
between  parent  and  child.  The  "  emotional 
psychic  "  appeal  is  the  most  effective.  All  the  ad- 
vantages of  retaining  vigour  of  body  and  brain 
should  be  rehearsed,  and  young  people  should  be 
told  that  any  tampering  with  the  vital  force  in 
youth  is  likely  to  impair  the  joy  and  the  peace  of 


THE  HOME  TRAINING  211 

conjugal  love.  A  spirit  of  idealism  may  be  instilled 
into  the  majority  of  adolescents  by  fine  example, 
by  broad-minded,  tolerant  precept,  and  by  praise  for 
sincere  endeavour  in  fine  living. 


CHAPTER  II 

THE   SCHOOL 


THE  lack  of  sex  guidance  during  school  life  has 
very  serious  results  upon  the  individual  and  so- 
ciety. A  boy  or  a  girl  is  sent  from  the  sheltered 
home  to  form  one  of  a  community  composed  of  all 
types  and  shades  of  character.  For  several  months 
each  year,  there  is  a  severance  from  parental  control. 
The  young  pupil  is  thrown  among  the  good  and  the 
bad,  and  is  exposed  to  both  favourable  and  detri- 
mental influences.  Often  the  most  attractive  com- 
panions are  not  the  best  associates  for  youth.  An 
older  comrade  may  implant  ideas  and  set  examples 
that  will  colour  the  whole  of  a  junior  boy's  career. 

There  is  no  doubt  considerable  variety  in  the  tone 
and  moral  atmosphere  of  the  average  boarding- 
schools  and  public  colleges.  Certain  schools  of  both 
classes  have  a  doubtful  reputation,  while  others  ap- 
pear to  be  comparatively  immune  from  evil  influ- 
ences. If  we  question  those  men  of  our  acquaint- 
ance who  are  willing  to  discuss  the  matter  and  to 
recall  episodes  in  their  school  life,  we  shall  find  that 
a  few  have  no  very  distinct  recollection  of  perni- 
cious conversation  or  bad  practice,  while  others 
gravely  assure  us  that  their  first  lessons  in  vice  were 

212 


THE  SCHOOL  213 

learnt  during  tutelage  in  schools  and  colleges  of  a 
high  reputation  as  institutions  of  learning. 

If  disordered  sexuality  and  perversions  are  ram- 
pant in  certain  boys'  schools,  we  have  not  to  seek 
far  for  the  causes.  The  school  period  is  the  period 
preceding  and  during  the  development  of  puberty. 
It  is  the  time  when  erotic  emotion  is  coming  into 
consciousness.  The  physical  changes  of  this  cycle 
are  usually  a  source  of  curiosity,  and  the  accom- 
panying influences  stimulate  to  inquiry  and  experi- 
ence. Talk  upon  sexual  topics  is  almost  certain  to 
arise  when  a  number  of  boys  are  crowded  together 
day  and  night  for  three  months  at  a  spell.  The 
wonder  and  the  speculation  rarely  receive  rational 
satisfaction.  Sex  is  regarded  as  an  improper  joke. 
The  attitude  is  either  grossly  phallic,  or  porno- 
graphic, or  flippant,  ignorant  and  vulgar. 

There  are  usually  one  or  two  boys  in  the  major- 
ity of  schools  who  affect  a  wide  knowledge  of  sex 
matters.  This  knowledge  is  not  wholesome  and  ra- 
tional. It  is  a  compound  of  shame  and  indecency?" 
It  is  from  such  sources  that  the  mass  of  our  sons 
obtain  their  early  sexual  "  instruction."  The  com- 
mon gutter  words  for  the  sex  organs  and  the  unions 
of  the  sexes  are  employed,  and  there  is  a  hideous  be- 
smirching of  that  which  should  be  regarded  as  beau- 
tiful and  sacred.  Example  by  a  lewd-minded  boy 
stimulates  a  desire  to  vie  in  telling  improper  stories, 
and  gradually  a  whole  dormitory  or  an  entire  school 
may  become  permeated  with  obscenity. 

The  laws  directing  public  morals  prevent  me  from 


214      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

giving,  even  in  an  expurgated  form,  the  anecdotes, 
rhymes  and  jests  that  were  rife  in  my  schooldays. 
I  have  never  discovered  the  authors  of  the  thou- 
sands of  gross,  and  often  very  unsavoury,  tales  and 
jokes  that  are  told  daily  throughout  almost  the 
whole  of  society.  There  are  evidently  brains  that 
devote  considerable  pains  to  this  exercise. 

Familiarity  with  sex  matters,  through  foolish  and 
frivolous  conversation,  threatens  most  boys  and  a 
considerable  number  of  girls.  Indecent  allusion  to 
the  intimacies  of  the  sexes  sets  up  prurience  and  in- 
cites to  experimentation  in  vicious  practice.  This 
disrespect  may  become  the  habitual  attitude  and  last 
during  the  whole  of  life.  Men  and  women  who  de- 
scribe sex  as  "  dirty  "  or  "  nasty  "  are  generally 
those  whose  minds  have  been  tainted  and  injured  in 
childhood.  The  purifying  influence  of  true  love, 
based  on  respect  for  womanhood,  may  mitigate  the 
effects  of  this  early  tarnishing  of  the  mind.  It  has 
been  pointed  out  to  me  by  an  Oxford  professor  that 
the  pornographic  propensity  may  accompany  a  spir- 
itualised conception  of  sexual  love.  This  may  be 
possible  in  the  case  of  some  minds;  but  obscenity 
seems  scarcely  compatible  with  a  noble  sex  ideal- 
ism and  a  true  reverence  for  whatsoever  things  are 
pure. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  concentration  upon  pleas- 
ures of  an  erotic  character  leads  to  solitary  and  mu- 
tual masturbation  in  schools.  The  young  are  natur- 
ally exposed  to  inner  or  peripheral  irritations.  All 
other  stimulations  should  be  avoided  as  far  as  pos- 


THE  SCHOOL  215 

sible.  The  mind  absorbed  with  libidinous  thoughts 
is  not  in  a  wholesome  condition,  and  there  is  the 
danger  that  the  ideas  may  become  vehement  and 
obsessional.  In  youth  it  is  well  if  thought  concern- 
ing sex  is  dispassionate  and  not  preoccupied  with 
the  voluptuous  element.  The  school  environment 
frequently  blunts  the  finer  sensibilities  of  boys,  dam- 
ages the  intellectual  outlook  upon  the  love  of  the 
sexes,  and  fosters  inclinations  that  will  seek  for 
gratification  in  later  life. 

A  correspondent  writing  to  Havelock  Ellis  says : 
[l  The  dormitory  was  boisterous  and  lewd.  .  .  .  My 
principal  recollection  now  is  of  the  filthy  mystery  of 
foul  talk  that  I  neither  cared  for  nor  understood. 
What  I  really  needed,  like  all  other  boys,  was  a  lit- 
tle timely  help  over  the  sexual  problems,  but  this  we 
none  of  us  got,  and  each  had  to  work  out  his  own 
principle  of  conduct  for  himself.  It  was  a  long, 
difficult  and  wasteful  process,  and  I  cannot  but  be- 
lieve that  many  of  us  failed  in  the  endeavour." 

Some  loose-minded  boys  find  a  perverse  delight  in 
questioning  younger  companions  concerning  their 
sexual  knowledge  and  in  imparting  lewd  ideas.  In 
my  youth  the  new-comer  at  school  was  often  asked 
if  he  was  "  up  to  snuff,"  which  was  the  slang  form 
of  inquiry  concerning  his  acquaintance  with  the 
physical  relations  of  the  sexes  and  the  mysteries  of 
reproduction.  If  the  boy  confessed  ignorance  he 
was  speedily  supplied  with  vulgar  and  graphic  de- 
scriptions, accompanied  by  low  jests  and  laughter. 
Some  of  the  stories  of  schoolboys  are  of  a  repulsive 


2i6      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

and  scatalogic  type,  invoking  disesteem  for  the  hu- 
man body  and  a  false  attitude  towards  natural  func- 
tions. Nothing  is  sacred  to  the  mind  imbued  with 
indecency. 

This  flippant  regard  for  sex  greatly  complicates 
the  important  task  of  rational  enlightenment.  As 
we  have  all  been  more  or  less  exposed  to  this  early 
influence,  it  is  often  difficult  to  obliterate  the  sense 
of  shame,  disgust  and  recoil  from  the  mind  of  the 
adult.  We  encounter  "  educated  "  persons,  even  a 
fair  number  of  teachers,  who  announce  that  the 
whole  subject  is  "  beastly  "  or  "  unpleasant."  Yet 
Stanley  Hall  says  this  should  be  considered  one  of 
the  most  beautiful  of  all  subjects  for  the  instructor 
of  youth.  When  boys  are  accustomed  to  the  ob- 
scene and  vulgar  estimates  of  sexuality,  the  work  of 
the  teacher  is  rendered  extremely  difficult.  In  class 
teaching  of  biology  there  is  even  the  fear  that  one 
ignorant  boy  may  incite  to  giggles,  or  infuse  an 
element  of  prudishness.  A  medical  friend,  who  is 
zealous  for  the  enlightenment  of  the  young,  tells  me 
that  he  would  fear  to  illustrate  the  racial  organs  and 
explain  them  to  a  class  of  adolescents  lest  he  might 
incur  the  risk  of  arousing  furtive  mirth  in  some  of 
the  pupils. 

II 

The  moral  tone  of  the  school  is  largely  dependent 
upon  the  attitude  of  the  principal  towards  the  sex 
question. 

It  should  be  clearly  understood  that  religious  in- 


THE  SCHOOL  217 

fluences  per  se  are  not  sufficient  for  the  direction  of 
adolescents  in  the  higher  conduct  of  the  sexual  life. 
In  schools  where  attendance  at  chapel  is  imperative 
and  the  religious  atmosphere  is  of  paramount  im- 
portance, there  is  not  always  convincing  testimony 
to  clean  thinking  and  decent  conduct  among  the 
pupils.  It  is  undeniable  that  religion  is  often  a  re- 
straining force.  On  the  other  hand,  the  connec- 
tion between  religious  emotionability  and  the  racial 
instinct  has  been  established  beyond  any  question. 
Sincere  piety  may  be  a  means  of  sublimation,  and 
no  one  can  doubt  that  faith  is  in  some  cases  a  safe- 
guard of  youth. 

Archdeacon  Wilson,  in  Essays  and  Addresses, 
writes :  "  The  boys  whose  temperament  specially  ex- 
poses them  to  these  faults  are  usually  far  from  des- 
titute of  religious  feelings;  there  is,  and  always  has 
been,  an  undoubted  coexistence  of  religiosity  and 
animalism;  emotional  appeals  and  revivals  are  very 
far  from  rooting  out  carnal  sin;  in  some  places 
they  seem  actually  to  stimulate  even  in  the  present 
day,  to  increased  licentiousness." 

Again,  we  have  the  testimony  of  Dr.  Elizabeth 
Blackwell  (Counsel  to  Parents)  that  auto-erotic 
manifestations  are  "  observable  in  refined,  intellec- 
tual and  even  pious  persons."  Canon  Lyttelton 
makes  a  similar  statement. 

We  must  recognise  that  the  aptitude  for  religious 
fervour  is  not  evinced  by  the  majority  of  boys. 
Stanley  Hall  has  found,  from  careful  inquiry,  that 
few  lads  are  genuinely  inspired  by  the  example  of 


218      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

Jesus  Christ.  The  very  divinity  of  Jesus  places  His 
character  above  the  human  level  in  the  estimate  of 
very  many  young  people.  The  boy's  ideal  hero  is  a 
purely  human  figure.  It  is  a  fact  also  that  most 
boys  resent  compulsory  attendance  at  worship  and 
services.  I  have  questioned  many  boys  upon  this 
matter,  and  there  is  little  doubt  indeed  that  religious 
exercises  are  apt  to  be  regarded  as  irksome.  In 
natures  attuned  to  the  influence  of  religion  there  will 
be  a  natural  responsiveness.  But  it  is  often  neces- 
sary to  appeal  to  the  moral  sense  by  means  not 
necessarily  associated  with  theological  beliefs  and 
orthodox  dogmas.  Light  comes  to  the  soul  through 
more  than  one  window. 

Pious  precept  may  fall  upon  sterile  soil.  But  the 
same  soil  may  be  fertilised  by  biological  knowledge 
and  practical  helpful  moral  counsel.  A  religious  in- 
stinct may  exist  in  a  child  who  appears  resistant 
to  the  conventional  church  teaching.  Idealism  can 
be  aroused  by  human  suggestion.  It  is  necessary 
to  discriminate  in  temperamental  bias.  Can  it  be 
supposed  that  the  average,  boisterous,  adventurous 
schoolboy  can  be  transformed  into  a  saintly  being 
by  merely  sending  him  to  chapel  twice  a  day?  A 
far  more  elaborate  and  subtle  method  is  essential 
if  we  would  spiritualise  our  boys. 

The  clerical  pedagogue  who  thinks  that  he  has 
fully  appreciated  his  responsibility  towards  youth 
by  pulpit  preaching  and  the  enforced  attendance  at 
services  may  have  utterly  failed  in  one  of  his  su- 
preme duties.  If  a  head-master  is  "  not  interested 


THE  SCHOOL  219 

in  sex/'  he  can  only  be  feebly  interested  in  humanity 
itself. 

If  he  considers  that  the  classical  languages  and 
mathematics  represent  a  truly  "  liberal  education," 
he  is  out  of  touch  with  the  most  vital  of  human 
affairs.  The  principal  of  a  school  has  the  solemn 
charge  of  a  number  of  young  people  at  one  of  the 
most  critical  periods  in  their  bodily,  mental  and 
moral  development.  At  the  crisis  when  new  and 
mysterious  forces  of  the  soma  and  psyche  are  be- 
coming palpable,  and  often  insistently  present  in 
consciousness,  every  individual  lad  requires  discern- 
ing direction  in  the  right  path.  This  guidance  can- 
not be  neglected  by  the  conscientious  teacher.  It  is 
not  enough  for  him  to  say  this  is  entirely  the  duty 
of  parents.  He  should  know  that  the  great  major- 
ity of  parents  neglect  their  duty  in  this  respect. 
Masters  should  co-operate,  as  a  few  are  now  doing, 
with  parents  in  the  task  of  educational  guidance  in 
sex  development. 

Sex  education  is  one  of  the  fundamentals  of 
moral  instruction  in  school  life.  Individual,  social 
and  racial  welfare  depend  upon  sex  morality  and 
hygiene.  No  one  can  be  a  good  citizen,  founder  of 
a  family  and  competent  parent  without  an  appre- 
ciation of  the  importance  of  the  sway  of  the  sexual 
instinct  in  the  progressive  development  of  the  higher 
organisms  and  in  mankind.  The  separation  of  the 
sex  life  from  the  other  vital  activities  is  impos- 
sible. Love  is  the  origin  and  the  mainspring  of 
life. 


220      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

Science  masters  who  omit  embryology  and  repro- 
duction from  the  curriculum  may  be  said  to  de- 
vitalise education.  Huxley's  otherwise  excellent 
manual  of  Physiology,  from  which  all  reference  to 
the  generative  system  was  omitted,  remains  as  a 
landmark  in  tutelary  inefficiency.  We  are  now 
learning  that  sexual  physiology  can  be  taught  as  a 
part  of  general  physiology. 

Every  year  brings  evidence  that  the  scientific  re- 
formers in  pedagogics,  physicians  and  clergymen 
are  beginning  to  realise  the  need  for  enlightening 
the  adolescent  in  the  laws  of  the  continuance  of 
life.  Our  new  sexual  ethics  must  be  founded  upon 
biology,  physiology  and  psychology,  and  not  upon 
misguiding  conjecture,  ancient  superstitions  derived 
from  barbaric  minds,  and  the  theories  of  archaic 
fantasy-thinking.  It  is  the  duty  of  the  education- 
alist to  collect  all  available  data  that  may  assist  him 
in  educating  his  pupils  in  a  finer  esteem  for  the  force 
that  underlies  the  vital  urge  or  elan  vital. 

in 

What  shall  be  our  method  of  training  the  young 
in  the  science  of  sex?  After  the  rudimentary  or 
preparatory  instruction  in  the  home,  should  the  boy 
or  girl  receive  class  instruction  in  the  school? 
Upon  this  question  there  is  considerable  difference 
of  view  among  teachers  who  recognise  the  need 
for  imparting  knowledge.  Professors  Geddes  and 
Thomson,  who  have  insistently  advocated  sex  edu- 
cation, are  of  the  opinion  that  the  more  precise  and 


THE  SCHOOL  221 

scientific  information  must  be  given  in  schools. 
They  do  not  approve  of  "  a  doctrinaire  scheme  of 
instruction,  coercively  imposed  from  without."  We 
must  first  consult  the  child  and  attempt  to  under- 
stand his  idiosyncrasy  and  point  of  view. 

The  scheme  outlined  by  these  earnest  sociologists 
consists  in  the  opening  out  of  wide  interests  in  ado- 
lescence, the  encouragement  of  play  and  legitimate 
adventure,  and  by  disciplines  in  sports  and  exercise 
that  promote  endurance.  Such  education  in  hard- 
ness is,  to  some  extent,  a  development  of  the  prim- 
itive rites  of  initiation  at  puberty,  described  by  sev- 
eral anthropologists.  This  preparation  for  man- 
hood and  womanhood  may  be  made  impressive. 
Conjoined  with  this  vent  for,  activity,  there  should 
be  a  development  of  the  ethical  and  imaginative  fac- 
ulties, a  fostering  of  chivalry,  self-control,  mutual 
respect  between  the  sexes,  and  healthy-mindedness. 
In  actual  teaching  Professors  Geddes  and  Thomson 
remind  the  instructor  that  "  what  is  to  be  suggested 
is  that  mystery  is  observed  because  sex  is  sacred,  not 
because  it  is  shameful."  This  is  a  supremely  val- 
uable counsel  for  all  educators. 

From  botanical  lessons  the  teacher  should  pass  on 
to  zoology.  The  hygienic  and  moral  guidance  may 
be  entrusted  to  headmasters  or  the  school  physician. 
In  every  case  education  must  be  carefully  differen- 
tiated. It  is  necessary  that  full  parental  assent  to 
this  instruction  shall  be  gained.  In  the  training  of 
girls  there  must  be  regard  to  differences  in  the  male 
and  female  mental  and  emotional  outlook.  The  in- 


222      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

struction  of  girls  should  be  "  gentler  "  than  that  of 
their  brothers.1 

Professor  Maurice  Bigelow,  in  his  Sex  Educa- 
tion, states  that  adolescent  girls  of  fourteen  to  six- 
teen should  know  the  general  plan  of  their  own  sex- 
ual structure.  "  The  worthwhileness  of  chastity  " 
should  be  pointed  out  by  contrasting  the  good  and 
evil.  Books  upon  sexual  physiology  and  health 
should  be  frank  and  direct.  "  At  present  there  are 
no  thoroughly  satisfactory  books  for  adolescent 
boys  and  girls." 

Dr.  W.  F.  Robie  recommends  the  emotional  ap- 
peal in  safeguarding  the  young,  and  states  the  need 
for  a  much  wider  knowledge  among  those  who 
should  be  responsible  for  sex  education.2  Maria 
Lischnewska,  one  of  the  pioneers  of  sexual  peda- 
gogics, advises  information  in  the  fertilisation  of 
plants  and  the  reproduction  of  fish  and  birds,  be- 
ginning in  the  eighth  year.  Later,  the  teaching 
should  be  extended,  and  rudimentary  embryology 
and  the  function  of  reproduction  may  be  taught. 
At  puberty  there  should  be  instruction  in  the  de- 
velopment of  the  sex  instinct  and  careful  hygiene 
counsel. 

Professor  Iwan  Bloch  supplements  his  citation  of 
the  views  of  teachers  with  his  own  conclusions.  He 
would  have  children  of  ten  taught  the  natural  his- 
tory of  the  reproductive  process,  and  graduated  ex- 

iSee    Sex.     Patrick    Geddes     and    J.     Arthur     Thomson. 
Williams  &  Norgate.     is.  6d. 
2  Rational  Sex  Ethics.    Badger,  Boston,  U.  S.  A. 


THE  SCHOOL  223 

planation  up  to  the  age  of  fourteen.  "  The  princi- 
pal aim  is  to  strengthen  the  character,  to  induce  the 
habit  of  self-command  and  self-denial  by  a  profound 
and  intimate  grasp  of  sexual  problems."  There 
must  be  a  guarding  against  sex  stimuli  in  youth. 
"  Discipline,  work,  abstinence,  bodily  hygiene,  are 
the  means  for  educating  the  character,  and  these 
also  play  the  principal  part  in  sexual  pedagogy."  1 

Havelock  Ellis  is  in  favour  of  the  broadest  pos- 
sible sexual  education,  judiciously  administered  in 
relation  to  age  and  sex.  He  thinks  that  the  mother 
is  the  natural  teacher  in  early  childhood.  She  must 
be  able  to  speak  "  with  frankness  and  tenderness." 
The  real  facts  of  the  sex  life  are  "  as  wonderful  as 
any  fairy  tale."  There  can  be  no  difficulty  in  arous- 
ing an  intelligent  interest  in  the  young.  But  facts, 
not  fancies,  must  be  instilled.  The  preparatory  in- 
struction need  not  be  technical,  but  conveyed  in 
intimate  talks  between  parent  and  child.  There 
should  be  a  reverential  attitude  towards  the  racial 
organs. 

Ellis  plainly  recognises  the  difficulty  attending 
formal  school  education  in  sex  subjects.  We  are, 
in  so  many  instances,  reared  in  the  pernicious  tra- 
dition that  "  sex  matters  are  filthy  "  that  a  large 
proportion  of  parents  protest  against  their  children 
learning  "  filthy  knowledge."  Under  democratic 
conditions,  the  teacher's  task  is  impossible.  Ellis 
fears  that  the  introduction  of  physiological  teaching 
upon  sex,  even  in  an  unobtrusive  form,  into  the 
1  The  Sexual  Life  of  Our  Time. 


224      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

average  school  will  prove  a  very  slow  reform.  The 
European  War  has  aroused  us  to  the  need  for  many 
social  reforms.  Specific  sex  problems,  often  of  an 
alarming  kind,  have  arisen  from  this  conflict;  and 
in  this  matter,  as  in  others  of  constant  importance, 
we  have  been  impelled  to  inquiry  and  to  organised 
action.  That  which  has  been  for  long  obvious  to  a 
few  reflective  men  and  women  is  beginning  to  as- 
sume some  significance  in  a  fairly  large  number  of 
minds. 

Havelock  Ellis  suggests  botanical  instruction  as  a 
first  step  in  sex  teaching.  From  this  study  of  the' 
reproduction  of  plants  the  pupil  passes  to  the  natural 
history  of  animals,  and  to  human  anatomy  and 
physiology.  "  The  text-books  from  which  the  sex- 
ual system  is  entirely  omitted  ought  no  longer  to  be 
tolerated."  The  attitude  of  the  young  mind  to- 
wards the  human  body  is  considered  by  Ellis  as 
highly  important  in  sexual  training.  He  believes 
that  there  is  a  spiritual  value  in  nakedness,  or,  as 
Bloch  expresses  it,  "  a  natural  conception  of  naked- 


ness." 


Undoubtedly  disesteem  for  the  body  is  a  source 
of  sin.  There  should  be  a  sane  acceptance  of  the 
plain  facts  of  organisation  and  function.  It  is  a 
sign  of  degeneration  that  "  the  clothed  man  sees  in 
the  uncovered  body  only  a  sensual  irritation."  The 
prudery  in  regard  to  statuary  is  an  instance  of  our 
decline  from  natural  simplicity.  As  Ellis  states, 
"  familiarity  with  the  sight  of  the  body  abolishes 
petty  pruriencies,  trains  the  sense  of  beauty,  and 


THE  SCHOOL  225 

makes  for  the  health  of  the  soul."  Maria  Lisch- 
newska  deploring  "  the  horror  of  the  civilised  man 
at  his  own  body,"  finds  therein  one  of  the  roots 
of  the  prejudice  against  wholesome  sexual  instruc- 
tion. 

The  valuation  of  the  noble  human  body  was  well- 
nigh  impossible  in  the  days  when  St.  Bernard  spoke 
of  man  "  as  nothing  else  than  fetid  sperm,  a  sack  of 
dung,  the  food  of  worms,"  and  "  a  dunghill."  To- 
day such  a  description  of  the  "  human  form  divine  " 
would  not  be  tolerated,  except  by  a  few  morbid  and 
disordered  minds.  But  such  conceptions  still  linger 
vaguely,  if  not  positively,  in  many  "civilised" 
brains.  Hence  abuse  of  the  bodily  organs,  neglect 
of  hygiene,  scanty  regard  to  aesthetic  development 
and  uncleanness.  The  task  of  counteracting  the  in- 
jurious disrespect  for  the  body  is  part  of  the  duty  of 
parent  and  tutor.  Those  who  deem  the  body  vile 
are  apt  to  use  it  vilely.  There  is  little  hope  for  pur- 
ity in  the  sex  life  till  we  have  banished  contempt  for 
the  human  body. 

IV 

The  question  of  the  desirability  of  class  instruc- 
tion must  be  considered  cautiously.  Such  teaching 
is  in  the  initial  stage  of  trial  in  America,  Canada, 
Scandinavia,  Switzerland  and  France.  The  instruc- 
tion is  conveyed  by  lectures  given  by  teachers  trained 
in  the  subject  to  separate  audiences  of  boys  and 
girls.  Reproduction  is  explained  by  the  fertilisa- 
tion of  plants  and  zoology.  Some  teachers  supple- 


226   A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

ment  the  biological  teaching  by  hygienic  and  moral 
counsel. 

In  the  United  States  and  Canada  class  instruc- 
tion has  proved  beneficial,  and  the  system  will  prob- 
ably become  more  generally  adopted  in  the  near 
future.  It  is  not  an  easy  task  for  the  instructor  to 
speak  explicitly  upon  the  intimate  relations  of  the 
sexes  to  an  ordinary  school  class.  Many  teachers 
flinch  from  necessary  plain  speaking  in  public. 
The  instruction  in  class  presents  obvious  difficulties. 
But  how  can  adequate  teaching  be  given  individu- 
ally in  a  college  of  a  hundred  or  more  boys  or  girls? 
For  the  present,  until  a  saner,  more  detached  atti- 
tude of  mind  takes  the  place  of  shame,  resistance 
and  bash  fulness,  it  seems  only  possible,  in  most 
cases,  to  impart  general  knowledge  of  biology  and 
embryology  to  classes  of  boys  or  girls.  We  may 
wish  that  the  obstacles  to  class  teaching  could  be 
banished  by  a  common-sense  appreciation  of  the  in- 
trinsic cleanness  of  the  subjects  of  sexual  physiol- 
ogy and  reproduction;  but  the  resistance  and  the 
timidity  are  very  deep-rooted,  and  we  cannot  hope 
to  eradicate  them  rapidly.  In  teaching  those  who 
are  the  heirs  of  a  long  ancestral  fear,  derived  from 
primitive  brains,  we  are  compelled  to  proceed  slowly 
and  carefully. 

The  first  and  probably  the  principal  effort  is  to 
purge  the  minds  of  parents  and  pupils  from  irra- 
tional and  unworthy  concepts  of  sex.  Until  we 
have  educed  the  right  spirit  and  the  fitting  receptiv- 
ity of  mind  it  would  be  rash  to  unfold  suddenly  or 


THE  SCHOOL  227 

violently  the  inner  mysteries  of  a  subject  regarded 
by  many  as  esoteric,  and  by  a  considerable  number 
as  improper.  The  preliminary  stage  of  sexual  peda- 
gogy seems  to  involve  a  mental  catharsis,  a  com- 
plete expulsion  of  hostile,  or  at  least  hindering,  pre- 
conceptions and  prejudices.  It  is  quite  probable 
that  the  proper  attitude  to  the  topic  will  develop 
during  the  study  of  plant  reproduction  and  illustra- 
tion of  the  development  of  sex  as  we  rise  in  the 
scale  of  animal  evolution.  We  may  be  said  to  be 
safe  while  the  teaching  is  concerned  with  botany. 
It  is  when  we  attempt  to  explain  human  reproduc- 
tion that  difficulties  may  arise  in  a  class  of  boys  or 
girls  influenced  by  the  ordinary  home  nurture. 
There  is  the  danger  that  one  or  two  pupils  may  re- 
gard the  subject  as  "  rude  "  or  "  improper." 

This  probability  has  a  somewhat  paralysing  effect 
upon  the  most  earnest  and  tactful  of  instructors. 
In  some  instances  the  teacher  may  have  to  over- 
come his  or  her  own  resistance  or  inclination  to 
shirk  the  matter.  Having  mastered  this  impedi- 
ment, it  is  discouraging  to  discover  that  a  propor- 
tion of  the  pupils  are  not  properly  prepared  to  ac- 
cept the  teaching  in  a  natural,  wholesome  spirit. 
The  point  to  urge  from  the  outset  is  that  the  study 
of  sex  is  not  low,  revolting  or  forbidden,  but  sacred, 
inspiring  and  beautiful  to  all  clean  minds.  Children 
should  be  taught  that  the  nastiness  is  not  in  the 
subject,  but  in  the  attitude  of  mind  with  which  we 
approach  it.  The  inculcation  of  refinement  and 
delicacy  should  be  based  upon  a  clean  purview  of 


228      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

the  natural  scheme  of  life.  We  should  insist  that 
it  is  nasty  to  associate  nastiness  with  organs  and 
functions  that  are  not  only  indispensable  for  the 
continuance  of  life,  but  have  their  great  part  to  play 
in  noble  living,  health  of  body,  sanity  of  mind,  the 
life  work,  the  formation  of  moral  judgments,  and 
the  development  of  the  spiritual  and  religious  sense. 
We  must  teach  that  sex  is  linked  up  with  all  the 
human  activities,  aspirations  and  fine  achievements. 
The  difficulty  in  class  teaching  is  that  the  great 
majority  of  children  come  to  school  entirely  unin- 
structed  in  sex  matters.  We  cannot  accept  the  in- 
formation picked  up  from  ignorant  companions  or 
servants  as  suitable  preliminary  knowledge.  On 
the  contrary,  such  "  knowledge  "  may  be  extremely 
detrimental  and  hindering.  If  the  average  parent 
prepared  the  child  for  the  more  formal  and  tech- 
nical teaching  in  the  school,  the  teacher's  task 
would  be  considerably  lighter.  As  it  is,  the  school 
teacher  may  be  the  first  person  who  has  ever  spoken 
rationally  to  the  child  on  sexual  topics. 


The  school  training  of  girls  in  the  laws  of  sex 
may  resemble  the  teaching  of  boys  in  the  initial 
stages.  Examples  of  the  reproductive  plan  in  the 
vegetable  kingdom  should  be  followed  by  descrip- 
tions of  ovulation  in  birds  and  fishes.  At  puberty 
more  specific  instruction  is  essential.  The  associa- 
tion of  the  monthly  cycle  with  maturity  should  be 
explained  and  the  right  hygienic  counsel  imparted. 


THE  SCHOOL  229 

Acknowledging  with  Dr.  Balls-Headley  and  other 
practitioners  skilled  in  the  diseases  of  women  that 
sexual  health  is  terribly  neglected  by  the  great  mass 
of  the  potential  and  actual  mothers  of  the  race,  we 
must  arouse  teachers  of  girls'  schools  to  a  sense  of 
their  responsibility  towards  the  physical  as  well  as 
the  mental  well-being  of  the  girls  entrusted  to  their 
care. 

Although  fastidiousness  is  commonly  accepted  as 
a  feminine  trait,  the  fact  remains  that  girls  left  to 
themselves  very  frequently  neglect  ordinary  cleanli- 
ness and  care  of  the  body.  They  tend  to  grave 
errors  in  diet,  are  apt  to  neglect  regularity  of  bowel 
function,  and  are  often  disregardful  of  the  need  for 
frequent  ablution  of  the  whole  body.  Frequently 
there  is  a  superstitious  fear  of  water  during  the 
menstrual  period. 

It  is  lamentable  that  the  ascetic  libellous  ascrip- 
tion of  "  impurity  "  to  women  still  tinges  in  some 
degree  the  attitude  of  many  women  towards  their 
bodies  and  the  offices  of  sex.  Boris  Sidis,  the  men- 
tal pathologist,  gives  an  instance  of  a  convent-reared 
girl  who  was  imbued  with  a  sense  of  the  innate  im- 
purity of  sex,  and  especially  her  own  sex.  In  after 
life,  following  upon  marriage,  she  developed  a  posi- 
tive abhorrence  of  women.  Minor  forms  of  such 
distortion  of  judgment  are  far  from  uncommon  in 
girls.  This  attitude  has  caused  tragedy  in  many 
marriages.  Sexphobia  may  be  so  pronounced  that 
recoil  against  conjugal  intercourse  may  persist 
throughout  married  life.  This  morbid  repugnance 


230      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

is  also  responsible  for  the  harsh,  narrow  and  un- 
charitable views  of  human  nature  expressed  by  some 
women. 

Most  women,  even  among  the  educated  class, 
enter  marriage  with  very  scanty  knowledge  of  the 
essential  physiological  facts.  Some  possess  no 
knowledge  whatever.  There  are  plentiful  recorded 
instances  of  a  complete  ignorance  among  women  of 
various  ages.  This  total  unpreparedness  for  con- 
jugality and  maternity  is  a  remarkable  anomaly  of 
"  civilisation."  It  is  a  total  annihilation  O'f  the 
theory  that  "  instinct  teaches."  Instinct  cannot 
teach  human  beings  who  have  lost  instinct.  It  is 
one  of  the  main  aims  in  the  education  of  girls  to 
suppress  natural  instinct,  and  if  knowledge  is  not 
substituted  the  inexperienced  bride  is  placed  in  one 
of  the  cruellest  and  most  helpless  of  situations. 

The  sex  education  of  girls  in  adolescence  should 
be  the  duty  of  the  mother.  If  the  parent  feels  in- 
capable in  this  matter,  the  help  of  a  sympathetic 
and  intelligent  married  woman  friend  should  be 
sought.  Adequate  enlightenment  concerning  mar- 
ital intimacies  can  scarcely  be  made  part  of  class  in- 
struction. Even  if  a  teacher  is  able  and  willing  to 
talk  privately  to  a  girl  about  to  be  married,  the  fact 
that  the  instructor  is  herself  unmarried  is  not  cal- 
culated to  inspire  a  high  confidence  in  the  prospec- 
tive bride.  A  woman  physician  of  broad  human 
sympathies  and  a  knowledge  of  sexual  psychology 
is  an  efficient  counsellor.  There  are  young  people 
who  prefer  to  seek  instruction  from  a  comparative 


THE  SCHOOL  231 

stranger.  A  strong  inhibitory  shyness  very  often 
exists  between  mother  and  daughter. 

Admitting  that  sex  resistance  and  recoils  are  more 
likely  to  manifest  themselves  in  young  women  than 
young  men,  it  is  needful  to  exercise  scrupulous  care 
in  the  sex  education  of  girls.  It  is  very  necessary 
to  prepare  the  way  for  knowledge  by  fostering  a 
healthy  natural  attitude  of  mind.  Much  may  have 
to  be  unlearned.  It  is  often  essential  that  a  pri- 
mary respect  for  the  body  should  be  instilled.  This 
appeal  may  be  made  aesthetic,  poetic  and  symbolic 
as  well  as  scientific.  The  beauty  of  the  human  form 
and  the  wonders  of  the  bodily  mechanism  may  be 
made  a  romantic  subject.  A  mere  anatomical  cata- 
logue is  certainly  not  enough,  and  may  be  simply 
repellant.  The  fascinating  interaction  of  the  soma- 
tic and  the  psychic,  the  magical  metabolism,  and  the 
eternity  of  the  germ  plasm  can  be  rendered  interest- 
ing themes  by  the  skilful  instructor. 

The  arousing  of  the  erotic  impulse  and  the  reli- 
gious or  moral  sense  both  occur  at  puberty,  and  are 
apt  to  manifest  themselves  simultaneously.  Morbid 
religiosity  is  sometimes  epidemic  in  schools,  and  may 
be  traced  in  some  instances  to  a  sex  hypersesthesia  in 
which  eroticism  and  piety  are  curiously  blended. 
Intense  sentimentality  may  develop  at  this  time,  ac- 
companied by  a  prudish  attitude  towards  material 
or  physical  phenomena.  Ill-educated  teachers,  lack- 
ing knowledge  of  juvenile  psychology,  often  foster 
instead  of  checking  this  excess  of  emotionalism  in 
adolescent  girls. 


232      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

There  is  a  progressive  improvement  in  feminine 
education  and  the  hygiene  of  girls'  schools;  but 
there  is  still  need  for  the  reform  and  the  remodel- 
ling of  the  educational  curriculum  and  methods.  It 
is  a  depressing  experience  for  one  who  is  earnestly 
solicitous  for  humanistic  education  to  see  a  grow- 
ing girl  utterly  fatigued  and  nervously  irritable  and 
wakeful  through  trying  to  cram  the  dead  languages 
in  order  to  pass  an  examination.  The  time  devoted 
to  Greek  and  Latin  would  often  be  spent  more 
profitably  in  the  study  of  the  vital  matters  essential 
for  a  knowledge  of  modern  life.  We  need  not  enter 
into  the  discussion  concerning  the  value  of  a  class- 
ical education.  It  is  admitted  by  all  progressive 
educational  experts  that  acquaintance  with  the  an- 
cient languages  should  form  a  part  of  a  wide  cul- 
ture. But  we  have  to  decide  whether  it  is  good 
policy  for  a  girl  to  give  more  study  to  Latin  gram- 
mar than  to  biology,  physiology,  psychology  and  so- 
ciology. 

The  neglect  of  science  in  girls'  schools  is  a  grave 
hindrance  to  the  education  of  the  average  woman. 
There  is  an  unreflective  and  ill-founded  view  that 
scientific  knowledge  unfits  the  mind  for  the  prac- 
tical business  of  life.  It  is  perfectly  true  that  a 
scientific  investigator,  a  zoologist,  a  chemist  or  an 
astronomer  may  be  so  completely  absorbed  in  his 
studies  and  researches  that  he  has  no  remaining 
energy  for  other  affairs.  But  there  is  very  little 
fear  that  the  average  boy  or  girl  will  neglect  the 
daily  duties  of  life  through  an  elementary  knowl- 


THE  SCHOOL  233 

edge  of  biology.  And  it  is  certain  that  even  a  little 
science  is  valuable  in  performing  the  commonest 
tasks.  Cultivation  of  the  faculties  of  observation, 
reflection,  criticism  and  concentration  undoubtedly 
assists  in  playing  the  great  game  of  life.  Human 
existence  to-day,  in  all  the  civilised  nations,  must  of 
necessity  derive  more  and  more  light  from  scientific 
knowledge. 


CHAPTER  III 

SOCIAL   INFLUENCES 


THE  child  and  the  adolescent  are  exposed  to  dangers 
of  misdirection  of  thought  upon  sex,  and  often  to 
positive  corruption  of  morals,  through  ordinary 
social  intercourse.  However  zealously  we  may 
shield  the  boy  or  girl,  there  is  always  the  risk  of 
mental  and  moral  contamination.  A  chance  expres- 
sion overheard  in  the  street  may  arouse  a  deep  curi- 
osity in  an  inquiring  child,  and  there  is  no  question 
that  the  obscene  inscriptions  upon  walls  and  the 
like  have  their  effect  upon  the  mind  of  youth.  In 
his  closely  analytic  study  of  juvenile  development, 
Mr.  Joyce,  in  his  Portrait  of  the  Artist  as  a  Young 
Man,  refers  to  the  influence  of  the  pornographic 
words  and  drawings  which  disfigure  the  walls  of 
many  public  lavatories,  waiting-rooms,  park  shelters 
and  fences. 

Even  when  the  lad  has  escaped  the  normal  menace 
of  school  life  he  is  not  safe  when  he  goes  into  the 
world  and  mixes  in  business  with  men  of  all  types. 
A  young  relative  of  mine,  who  was  for  a  time  a 
clerk  in  a  foreign  bank  in  London,  was  asked  by  a 
middle-aged  superior :  "  Have  you  ever  been  with  a 

234 


SOCIAL  INFLUENCES  235 

prostitute?  "  When  the  young  man  replied  "  No," 
the  older  man  remarked :  "  Then  it  is  time  you 
showed  that  you  are  a  man."  Such  suggestion  is 
by  no  means  uncommon. 

Probably  only  a  few  debased  men  deliberately  in- 
cite youths  to  loose  habits;  but  there  is,  in  many 
business  houses,  an  atmosphere  of  misdirected  sex- 
uality, and  a  persistent  tendency  to  coarse  and  in- 
decent conversation  and  jesting.  Nor  is  this  tend- 
ency inconspicuous  in  workrooms,  factories  and 
offices  where  girls  are  employed.  I  have  evidence 
that  a  vulgar  appraisement  of  sex  love  and  the  habit 
of  loose  talking  are  prevalent  in  many  work-places 
and  large  stores.  We  must  not  severely  condemn 
those  who  err  in  this  way  through  ignorance,  bad 
nurture  and  a  pernicious  environment.  Few  of  us 
are  entirely  immune  from  this  taint  of  vulgarity. 

It  is  almost  impossible  to  exercise  complete  super- 
vision over  the  selection  of  companions  for  our  sons 
and  daughters.  Any  interference  in  this  matter  on 
the  part  of  the  parent  is  likely  to  be  resented  by  the 
boy  or  girl  entering  upon  the  adolescent  stage;  and 
such  resentment  is  calculated  to  impair  the  confi- 
dence that  should  exist  between  youth  and  age.  If 
we  are  scrupulous  in  retaining  the  good  faith  and 
affection  of  the  children  in  our  charge  we  shall  find 
that  they  seldom  develop  close  secretiveness  con- 
cerning their  friendships.  A  discriminating  parent 
will  refrain  from  prohibiting  association  with  a  par- 
ticular comrade  until  he  or  she  is  well  assured  that 
the  influence  is  detrimental.  There  should  be 


236      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

kindly  insistence  on  the  fact  that  the  best  and  most 
companionable  youths  are  the  healthy-minded,  the 
naturally  and  rationally  inquiring,  and  those  pos- 
sessing a  diversity  of  interests  and  wholesome  hob- 
bies. 

It  is  always  safe  to  encourage  boys  in  an  ideal 
of  physical  vigour,  endurance,  animal  courage  and 
the  fair-play  or  "  sporting  "  sense.  Although  sport 
and  athletics  may  sometimes  bulk  too  greatly  in  the 
youthful  outlook  on  life,  there  is  not  the  least  doubt 
that  rigorous  games,  with  their  inviolable  rules  and 
the  principle  of  playing  fair  in  all  sports,  conduce 
to  a  feeling  for  justice,  generosity  towards  a  rival 
•and  a  sense  of  honour.  This  ideal  of  always 
"  playing  straight  "  may  be  an  aid  in  the  tempta- 
tions of  the  flesh.  We  ought  to  instill  the  idea  of 
bravery  and  hardiness  combined  with  compassion 
for  the  weak  and  a  zeal  for  socialised  living. 

There  may  be  still  some  persons  of  both  sexes 
who  think  that  a  young  man  should  sow  his  wild 
oats.  There  are,  however,  harmful  and  harmless 
excitements  and  dissipations.  It  is  hardly  true  that, 
do  what  we  may,  a  young  man  will  go  his  own  way 
and  flirt  and  trifle  with  vice.  If  the  sowing  of  wild 
oats  means,  as  it  usually  does,  the  seduction  of  girls 
of  an  inferior  status,  and  the  substitution  of  coarse 
sensual  satisfactions  for  psychic  and  uplifting  love 
during  early  manhood,  the  process  stands  utterly 
condemned  on  ethical,  social  and  hygienic  grounds. 
On  the  other  hand,  a  too  tight  curb  on  restive 
youth,  whether  male  or  female,  frequently  fails  to 


SOCIAL  INFLUENCES  237 

restrain.  We  can  "  shelter  "  or  restrict  to  a  dan- 
gerous degree.  The  attempted  suppression  and  the 
undue  repression  of  the  primitiveness  of  healthy 
boyhood  or  girlhood  may  be  fatal  to  morality,  san- 
ity of  mind  and  soundness  of  body.  All  vigorous 
young  creatures  crave  excitement,  adventure,  the 
courting  of  dangers,  the  expression  of  a  high  vital- 
ity. 

i  Boys  must  "  run  wild  "  on  sound  biological  lines. 
We  have  become  civilised,  urbanised,  and  half  tamed 
too  rapidly  for  some  of  our  fundamental,  savage, 
ancestral  longings  to  adapt  themselves.  It  is  ter- 
rible to  reflect  upon  the  consequences  of  a  denial  of 
ample  playtime  for  the  vast  multitude  of  the  young 
among  the  people.  The  neglect  of  life  for  the 
eternal  grindstone  is  a  serious  factor  of  spiritual 
atrophy  and  of  physical  deterioration.  It  is  not  all 
of  life  to  labour.  Stanley  Hall  is  right  in  his  view 
that  the  majority  of  adolescents  do  not  play  enough. 
This  is  especially  true  in  regard  to  girls.  For  we 
must  remember  that  the  athletic  girls  of  the  high 
schools  and  the  colleges  are  only  a  small  part  of  the 
population.  For  the  mass  of  men  and  women,  over- 
work and  too  prolonged  work  is  a  sheer  necessity 
under  existing  conditions. 

Debarred  from  healthful  play  amid  the  soothing 
and  beneficial  influences  of  nature,  tens  of  thousands 
of  young  men,  confined  in  reeking  cities,  discover  no 
other  outlet  for  their  superfluous  energy  and  their 
passion  for  adventure  than  drinking,  betting  and 
promiscuous  or  "  wild  "  love.  This  sowing  of  wild 


238      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

oats  is  not  an  outcome  of  idleness,  as  among  the 
rich.  It  is  a  reaction,  a  protest  against  the  drab 
monotony  of  poorly  paid  and  incessant  toil  in  more 
or  less  uncongenial  surroundings.  For  the  city 
toiler  there  are  long  spells  when  it  is  hardly  possible 
to  escape,  even  for  a  few  hours,  into  pure  air  and 
sunshine.  In  the  vast  complication  of  modern  in- 
dustrialism we  may  trace  the  source  of  much  sexual 
abnormality  and  degeneration. 

ii 

The  attitude  of  society  towards  sex  cannot  at 
present  be  considered  favourable  to  youthful  devel- 
opment on  moral,  physical  or  racial  lines.  There  is 
no  definite  ethic,  no  supreme  standard,  and  no  fine 
idealism  when  we  examine  the  minds  of  men  and 
women  as  a  mass.  Nothing  can  be  more  bewilder- 
ing to  an  earnest  adolescent  boy  or  girl  than  the 
views  and  judgments  of  society  upon  questions  of 
the  erotic  or  sexual  life.  The  conflicting  opinions 
and  the  inconsistencies  in  practice  are  innumerable 
and  utterly  chaotic. 

There  is  the  view  of  "  the  man  of  the  world," 
which  is  chiefly  a  mere  matter  of  sex  gratification. 
There  is  the  almost  rare  appraisement  of  love  as 
something  superbly  uplifting  and  ennobling;  and 
there  is  the  extremely  common  estimate  of  sex- 
uality as  something  unworthy,  animal  throughout,  a 
force  that  must  be  suppressed  as  a  shameful  lust,  a 
mark  of  man's  low  spiritual  state,  a  retribution  for 
the  Fall  in  Eden,  and  a  perpetual  menace  to  purity 


SOCIAL  INFLUENCES  239 

of  thought  and  conduct.  There  is  the  ascetic  recoil 
that  impels  men  and  women  to  seek  safety  and  to 
conserve  chastity  by  voluntary  isolation  from  the 
world,  and  self-immolation  and  emotional  mutila- 
tion. There  is  the  gross,  callous,  entirely  lascivious 
evaluation  of  sexual  love.  Allied  with  this,  though 
unconsciously,  is  the  prudery  that  censures  and 
would  even  suppress  all  examination  of  the  strongest 
instinct  and  most  powerful  psychic  force  in  human- 
ity. The  lecherous  and  the  prudish  are  both  the 
foes  of  light,  morality  and  social  happiness,  though 
they  may  fail  to  recognise  one  another. 

Society  tells  the  youth  one  day  that  it  is  ab- 
solutely essential  for  his  well-being  that  he  shall 
preserve  an  inviolate  purity.  To-morrow  the  be- 
wildered young  man  hears  that  if  it  were  not  for  the 
prostitute  there  could  be  no  "  pure  women  " ;  that 
the  courtesan  is  a  necessity  in  all  civilised  states ;  and 
that  the  majority  of  men  actively  support  prostitu- 
tion. He  is  told  in  the  same  breath  that  we  are  a 
monogamic  people,  and  that  the  ordered  polygamy 
of  the  Oriental  races  is  abominable.  He  learns  that 
love  is  the  one  thing  that  cannot  be  bartered,  and 
he  discovers  that  quite  a  large  host  of  respectable 
women  are  reared  in  the  tradition  that  "  a  good 
match  "  means  a  marriage  with  an  affluent  partner. 

For  a  thoughtful  youth  or  maiden  the  attitude  of 
everyday  society  seems  a  medley  of  amazing  con- 
tradictions. We  teach  our  children  to  honour  moth- 
erhood; but  the  legally  unmarried  mother  we  hunt 
from  our  doors,  and  condemn  her  to  misery  and 


24o      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

infamy,  while  we  cruelly  visit  her  offence  upon  her 
innocent  offspring,  depriving  the  child  of  certain 
essential  civic  rights.  We  affect  that  love  is  beyond 
price,  but  we  award  "  damages  "  in  cash  to  the  hus- 
bands of  unfaithful  spouses.  We  teach  that  affec- 
tion between  the  sexes  is  spontaneous,  irresistible 
and  beyond  our  will;  but  if  two  are  joined  without 
this  natural  bond  of  union,  and  wish  to  sever  the 
link,  we  exhort  them  in  the  name  of  religion  and 
purity  to  remain  in  unnatural,  socially  disruptive 
pseudo-conjugality.  We  avoid  any  social  contact 
with  "  the  fallen  woman,"  but  invite  the  lowest 
fallen  of  men,  be  they  well  bred  and  mannered,  to 
our  domestic  circles. 

How  can  a  young  man  or  young  woman  mingling 
in  ordinary,  respectable,  conventional  society  frame, 
from  such  a  conglomeration  of  conflicting  estimates, 
any  sound,  practical  code  for  the  conduct  of  the 
love  life? 

Common-sense,  intuition  and  experience  gradually 
aid  many  in  forming  a  rough-and-ready  valuation 
of  love  and  marriage.  But  how  many  there  are 
who  pass  through  life  compassless  and  rudderless 
upon  a  turbulent  sea.  The  ways  of  nature  are  ob- 
scured from  a  host  through  the  dark  maze  of  igno- 
rance constructed  by  society.  What  foresight,  what 
protection,  what  guidance  can  there  be  without 
knowledge  ? 

It  has  been  said  that  it  is  life,  not  books,  that 
influence  thought  or  corrupt  morals.  Undoubtedly 
words  spoken  by  those  to  whom  respect  or  admira- 


SOCIAL  INFLUENCES  241 

tion  is  accorded  are  often  more  potent  than  a 
printed  page  from  a  work  of  superior  wisdom. 
Most  young  people  gain  their  views  of  love  and  sex 
from  the  spoken  opinions  of  their  associates. 

The  ideas  begin  to  form  in  childhood  in  the  home, 
and  are  modified,  elaborated,  revised  or  rejected 
when  the  restraint  of  home  life  is  relaxed.  Society 
represents  many  types  of  character  and  mind;  but 
it  is  no  exaggeration  to  say  that  the  majority  of 
men  and  women,  not  excluding  the  reputed  well- 
educated,  are  blind  leaders  of  the  blind  in  questions 
concerning  the  evolution,  physiology,  psychology, 
hygiene  and  ethics  of  sex.  The  great  preponderat- 
ing mass  are  not  equipped  with  adequate  knowledge 
of  a  hitherto  almost  universally  neglected  study. 

There  can  be  little  validity  in  the  counsels  of 
guides  who  do  not  know  the  way  through  the  jun- 
gle. In  matters  of  sex  the  average  man  and  woman 
have  not  thought  it  worth  while  to  learn  the  way. 
They  have  relied  on  "  instinct " ;  a  very  valuable 
possession  for  a  tiger,  both  in  hunting  and  in  love, 
but  an  asset  that  man  loses  with  a  steady  regularity 
of  impairment  as  he  becomes  civilised  and  mechan- 
ical. It  is  obvious  that  instinct  in  sex  still  impels 
man.  But  it  does  not  tell  him  always  and  unerr- 
ingly how  he  should  act.  The  human  mother  has 
to  be  taught  how  to  care  for  her  young. 

In  the  important  question  of  pre-marital  chastity 
the  educated  world  has  no  clear  direction  and  very 
little  help  to  offer  the  young  man.  "  Purity  "  is 
inculcated  as  a  high  virtue,  especially  in  women ;  but 


242      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

the  term  is  never  plainly  interpreted  by  ethical  coun- 
sellors, nor  is  the  best  way  of  attaining  to  pnreness 
in  living  pointed  out  to  ardent,  strongly  sexed 
youths.  One  member  of  the  community  will  main- 
tain urgently  that  prolonged  sexual  abstinence  is 
never  injurious  to  body  or  mind,  while  another  will 
refer  to  its  dangers  and  hint  of  insanity  and  im- 
potence as  probable  results.  Some  will  assert  that 
strict  continence  is  always  easy  for  women ;  others 
will  affirm  that  the  periodic  arising  of  sexual  de- 
sire in  woman  places  her  practically  in  line  with 
man  in  amative  inclination. 

Realising  that  both  "  natural  instinct "  and  the 
advice  of  the  uninformed  fail  when  put  to  the  test, 
it  becomes  imperative  to  call  in  the  aid  of  scientific 
knowledge.  And  this  is  precisely  that  which  the 
average  man  and  woman  lacks.  The  influences  that 
reach  the  youth  or  the  maiden  through  association 
with  ordinary  society  are  therefore  questionable. 
At  the  best  the  counsels  and  prescriptions  are  du- 
bious, and  at  the  worst  they  are  injurious  and  debas- 
ing. It  is  necessary  to  warn  the  young  against  this 
risk.  An  impressionable  boy  or  girl  may  suffer  a 
deplorable  distortion  of  mental  and  moral  vision 
through  imbibing  common  unreflective  opinions 
upon  the  emotion  of  love  and  the  relations  of  the 
sexes. 

It  must  always  be  remembered  that  knowledge  of 
sex  is  frequently  in  the  nature  of  an  astounding 
revelation,  and  that  shock  or  revulsion  may  occur 
in  the  case  of  an  entirely  unprepared  mind.  The 


SOCIAL  INFLUENCES  243 

sudden  awakening  to  the  facts  of  the  sex  nature, 
when  shock  is  the  outcome,  may  mark  the  beginning 
of  hysteria  or  some  other  form  of  neurosis.  There 
is  full  proof  of  this  peril  in  the  analysis  of  the 
newer  school  of  psychotherapists. 

in 

The  drama,  the  variety  stage  and  the  movie  all 
contribute  to  the  sex  enlightenment  of  the  young. 
There  is  for  some  persons  a  strong  sensuous  ap- 
peal in  the  stage,  but  this  does  not  by  any  means 
nullify  the  educational  and  reformative  factor  of 
the  play.  We  cannot  discuss  classic  opera  as  an 
aphrodisiac  (sexual  excitant)  because  desire  is 
aroused  in  some  by  music,  or  because  certain  mem- 
bers of  the  audience  are  moved  erotically  by  the  dis- 
play of  the  female  form  in  the  ballet.  The  appre- 
ciation for  aesthetics  is  doubtless  linked  up  with  the 
sex  instinct,  and  song,  painting  and  fervid  poetry 
may  be  regarded  as  sublimated  forms  of  primary 
yearnings.  But  this  association  does  not  com- 
monly enter  into  the  conscious  mind. 

When  the  stage  vulgarises  the  emotion  of  love 
and  derides  sexual  idealism,  the  influence  may  be 
distinctly  evil.  Thus  a  flippant  presentation  of  in- 
fidelity in  marriage,  or  the  treating  of  vice  as  a  jest, 
may  act  very  injuriously  upon  frail  and  unbalanced 
minds.  The  potentiality  for  good  in  the  drama  will 
scarcely  be  disputed  by  the  thoughtful;  nor  will  the 
power  for  ill  be  denied.  It  may  be  noted  here  that 
the  standard  of  official  stage  censorship,  which  for- 


244      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

bade  moral  plays  because  the  theme  was  the  social 
consequences  of  venereal  disease,  and  sanctioned 
foolish  farces,  in  which  the  ideal  of  chastity  was 
flagrantly  ridiculed  and  cleanness  of  living  derided, 
has  changed  within  the  past  few  years.  The  reali- 
ties of  war  seem  to  have  convinced  many  of  the 
vital  realities  of  life  in  times  of  peace.  There  is  a 
tendency  now  to  convert  the  stage  into  a  pulpit. 

The  contention  that  an  exhibition  of  semi-nudity 
of  women  on  the  stage  in  revues,  pantomimes  and 
spectacles  fosters  lust  in  the  beholders  has  a  founda- 
tion in  fact.  But,  as  many  sex  psychologists  are 
agreed,  it  is  very  hard  to  say  what  will  not,  or  may 
not,  give  rise  to  libidinous  thought  in  specific  cases. 
If  a  sight  of  the  sea  can  arouse  amorous  emotion 
in  one  individual,  and  a  melody  by  Chopin  in  an- 
other, we  can  scarcely  affirm  that  feminine  charms 
on  the  stage  are  without  their  influence.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  banning  of  alleged  indecent  cloth- 
ing on  the  stage  and  elsewhere  has  been  attempted 
by  authority  in  most  civilised  countries.  Invariably 
the  edicts  have  shown  no  result  in  a  reformation  of 
public  morality. 

This  consideration  brings  us  to  the  difficult  ques- 
tion of  the  practical  moral  value  of  "  policing  "  pub- 
lic entertainments.  A  too  rigid  intervention  seems 
always  the  source  of  more  indecorum  in  secret 
places.  This  reaction  appears  to  be  inevitable. 
The  craving  for  the  forbidden  is  extremely  potent 
in  a  large  number  of  human  beings.  The  reform 
of  public  recreation  is  a  matter  of  education  and  has 


SOCIAL  INFLUENCES  245 

little  relation  to  laws.  When  parents  are  really 
awakened  to  the  necessity  for  safeguarding  youth 
against  any  sight  or  speech  that  lowers  instead  of 
elevating  respect  for  sex,  there  will  be  no  public 
demand  for  ugly  or  vicious  forms  of  amusement. 
The  "  suggestive  "  ceases  to  attract  those  who  un- 
derstand the  sacred  nature  of  the  mysteries  of  love 
and  life. 

We  must  avoid  the  Puritanism  that  inspires  reck- 
less revolt  and  leads  to  defiant  excess,  and  the  licence 
which  outrages  our  finer  aspiration.  Some  of  the 
songs  of  the  music  halls  are  not  those  we  would 
choose  for  our  children's  singing.  Many  are  harm- 
less, others  vulgar  and  ineffably  foolish,  and  some 
undeniably  detrimental.  Nevertheless  the  popular 
place  of  amusement  must  be  encouraged  almost  at 
any  cost.  There  should  be  more  halls  of  music, 
song  and  laughter. 

The  movie,  like  the  stage,  may  be  made  a  very 
valuable  instrument  for  public  diversion  and  in- 
struction. There  is  no  doubt  that  boys  have  been 
incited  to  adventure  and  even  to  crime  by  impres- 
sions gained  at  picture  shows.  We  are,  however, 
apt  to  forget  that  the  representations  of  heroism 
often  exert  a  moral  influence.  An  inquiry  among 
teachers  and  children  has  proved  that  the  cinema 
pictures  have,  in  some  cases,  stimulated  unselfish^ 
ness,  kindness,  compassion  and  heroism. 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE    BOOK 


THE  influence  of  the  written  word  on  the  mind  of 
the  young  is  beyond  question.  Many  children  de- 
rive their  earliest  impressions  of  love  between  the 
sexes  from  fairy  stories  and  old  legends.  It  has 
been  pointed  out  that  the  erotic  passages  in  The 
Arabian  Nights  may  have  an  injurious  effect  upon 
the  young.  This  objection  might  be  applied  to  a 
number  of  the  classics  of  our  literature,  including 
the  plays  of  Shakespeare  and  Paradise  Lost.  I 
have  questioned  a  few  intelligent  men  and  women 
concerning  the  alleged  danger  of  The  Arabian 
Nights,  and  their  view  is  that  the  passages  under 
discussion  made  no  impression  upon  them  in  child- 
hood, the  consensus  being  that  children  are  apt  to 
skip,  or  give  little  attention  to,  descriptions  of  love- 
making. 

There  is,  however,  no  doubt  that  crude  enlighten- 
ment may  be  gained  from  the  Bible.  There  is  con- 
siderable testimony  that  children  read  some  parts 
of  the  Old  Testament  with  intense  curiosity,  and 
that  they  often  question  parents  and  teachers  as 
to  their  meaning.  A  highly  intelligent  lady  tells 

246 


THE  BOOK  247 

me  that  on  her  first  visit  to  a  Sunday  school  she 
was  told  the  story  of  the  Garden  of  Eden.  The 
statement  "  Adam  knew  Eve "  puzzled  her,  as  it 
has  puzzled  other  children  who  have  no  acquaintance 
with  archaic  forms  of  speech.  The  teacher  mala- 
droitly  refused  to  answer  the  question.  On  the 
next  Sunday  the  interrogation  was  repeated  by  the 
little  pupil  and  an  answer  again  evaded.  The  in- 
quiry was  resumed  on  the  third  Sunday,  with  the 
same  result.  "  After  that,"  says  my  informant,  "  I 
thought  the  teacher  was  a  very  silly  person,  and  I  re- 
fused to  attend  the  Sunday  school  in  the  future." 

References  to  the  rite  of  circumcision  and  to 
emasculation  sometimes  arouse  the  curiosity  of  chil- 
dren of  both  sexes.  I  recall  the  case  of  a  school- 
mate who,  during  a  Scripture  lesson,  asked  the  mas- 
ter the  meaning  of  the  word  "  eunuch."  The 
teacher  suggested  that  the  boy  should  ask  his  father. 
Boys  and  girls  are  often  interested  in  the  account 
of  the  birth  of  Esau,  the  story  of  Ammon  and 
Tamar,  Joseph  and  Potiphar's  wife,  Samson  and 
Delilah,  and  passages  in  the  Mosaic  Code  referring 
to  sexual  hygiene. 

Allusions  to  marriage  in  the  Epistles  of  St.  Paul 
often  cause  juvenile  curiosity  and  give  rise  to  ques- 
tioning. Thoughtful  children  ask  for  explanations 
of  such  dicta  as  "  It  is  better  to  marry  than  to 
burn,"  and  "  Whoremongers  and  adulterers  God 
will  judge."  Most  parents  can  remember  instances 
of  such  desire  for  knowledge  among  young  chil- 
dren. 


248      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

The  habit  of  searching  the  Bible  for  these  pas- 
sages is  fairly  common  in  both  boys'  and  girls' 
schools.  Frequently  the  stories  are  repeated  to 
other  children.  The  danger  is  that  the  interest  in 
the  narratives  may  be  frivolous,  vulgar  or  lascivi- 
ous; and  the  recognition  of  this  danger  has  even 
led  to  misguided  proposals  that  the  Bible  should  be 
expurgated  for  the  use  of  children.  The  undiscern- 
ing  advocates  of  "  revised  "  or  bowdlerised  classics 
always  lose  sight  of  the  fact  that  all  expurgation  is 
apt  to  kindle  a  more  ardent  curiosity.  There  is  a 
desire  to  read  the  deleted  sentences.  Thus  a  book 
that  is  intrinsically  harmless  may  be  made  harmful. 

That  the  Bible  contains  condemnation  of  fornica- 
tion and  other  offences  which  are  mysteries  to  the 
mind  of  the  young  child  does  not  appear  to  be  a 
sound  reason  for  placing  it  in  an  index  of  unper- 
missible  juvenile  books.  Undoubtedly  there  are 
references  to  abnormal  sexual  practice  and  to  more 
than  one  form  of  perversion.  Sooner  or  later  the 
child  will  almost  certainly,  in  his  journey  through 
life,  encounter  actual  cases  of  these  vices  or  ab- 
normalities. The  honest  and  ethical  course  for  the 
instructor  would  seem  to  be  a  tactful,  sympathetic 
heed  to  the  child's  inquiries.  The  classics,  sacred  or 
otherwise,  should  be  read  under  parental  or  peda- 
gogic direction.  There  are  passages  in  the  master- 
pieces of  literature  that  may  be  read  in  the  wrong 
spirit,  and  set  up  a  detrimental  attitude  to  sex  ques- 
tions. Much  depends  on  the  idiosyncrasy  of  the 


THE  BOOK  249 

reader,  but  more  depends  on  the  insight  and  good 
sense  of  the  guardian  or  tutor. 

It  is  well  to  explain  to  children  that  the  forms 
of  expression  in  speech  and  writing  change  from 
age  to  age.  A  word  which  has  a  coarse  or  sugges- 
tive implication  to-day  is  often  a  word  that  was  in 
the  common  polite  use  among  our  ancestors.  Al- 
though some  few  of  the  classics  of  old  must  be 
classed  as  "  erotica,"  and  are  likely  to  stimulate  a 
youthful  curiosity,  the  great  mass,  despite  plainness 
of  phrase  or  coarseness  in  the  modern  connotation, 
are  profoundly  moral  in  influence. 

No  sane  teacher  would  ban  Shakespeare  by  rea- 
son of  isolated,  incidental  passages,  nor  proscribe 
Paradise  Lost  on  account  of  the  description  of  the 
nuptials  of  Adam  and  Eve.  The  general  tone  and 
the  elevated  purpose  of  a  volume  or  a  classical 
legend  should  be  explained  to  the  young  reader; 
otherwise,  in  certain  instances,  the  child  may  con- 
ceive an  opinion  that  the  author  directly  aimed  at 
impropriety.  This  is  an  almost  inevitable  risk  in 
the  instance  of  young  people  who  have  been  reared 
in  the  prudish  attitude  towards  sex.  The  naturally 
wholesome,  sympathetically  and  rationally  directed 
mind  of  a  boy  or  girl  very  rarely  hankers  pruriently 
for  the  merely  sensual  or  the  simply  obscene  in  lit- 
erature. The  chief  aim  of  the  teacher  is  to  main- 
tain a  healthy  curiosity,  a  real  spirit  of  inquiry  for 
the  sake  of  knowledge. 

It  has  been  said  that  life,  and  not  books,  cor- 
rupts. This  is  but  a  part  truth.  Sensitive,  im- 


250      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

aginative,  intelligent  children  are  often  deeply  in- 
fluenced by  what  they  read.  It  is  impossible  to 
doubt  the  effect  of  false  and  vulgar  fiction  upon  the 
characters  of  an  immense  number  of  the  young  of 
both  sexes.  Stirring  sea  tales  inspire  boys  with  a 
yearning  for  the  sailor's  life;  stories  of  battles  and 
"  glorious  war  "  foster  longings  for  adventures  on 
the  field,  and  the  lives  of  highwaymen,  brigands, 
pirates  and  intrepid  criminals  stimulate  to  example 
in  numerous  instances.  Impressionable  girls  are 
highly  affected  by  love  stories.  Many  endeavour 
to  mould  themselves  from  the  models  presented  in 
cheap  novelettes  and  ephemeral  fiction.  Books  fos- 
ter day-dreaming  in  both  sexes.  The  imaginative 
often  try  to  personify  in  themselves  the  heroes, 
heroines  and  even  the  villains  of  romance. 

There  is  no  question  that  some  books  are  detri- 
mental to  a  sound  sex  development.  Among  these 
are  the  obviously  indecent  productions,  usually  sold 
by  stealth,  and  certain  conventional  works  of  fiction 
which  are  often  widely  recommended  as  "  safe"  or 
"  clean."  A  novel  that  purports  a  portrayal  of 
love,  and  entirely  ignores  the  passional  element  and 
the  physical  basis  of  attraction,  may  so  utterly  mis- 
lead a  young  girl  that  she  is  in  dire  risk  of  marrying 
under  a  whole  mass  of  misunderstanding  and  fal- 
lacious conjecture.  The  "  girl's  book  "  often  dis- 
torts life  in  the  most  grotesque  fashion.  The  tend- 
ency to  "  spiritualise  "  human  nature  is  carried  to 
a  ludicrous  extreme.  Manliness  in  these  stories  has 
very  little  resemblance  to  actual  manliness.  Such 


THE  BOOK  251 

fiction  retards  or  misdirects  the  sex  development  of 
many  adolescent  girls.  It  is  extremely  doubtful 
whether  any  tale  that  is  false  to  life  can  be  de- 
scribed as  safe  reading  for  the  young. 

The  persistent  reading  of  love  stories,  with  highly 
voluptuous  or  so-called  "  suggestive  "  passages,  is 
one  of  the  factors  of  the  psychic  sexual  develop- 
ment of  both  sexes.  That  the  artistic  handling  of  a 
great  passion  should  be  impassioned  goes  without 
saying,  and  the  greatest  artists  have  shown  the  over- 
whelming force  of  love.  Many  of  the  lesser  novel- 
ists, whose  aim  is  to  appeal  to  the  vast  crowd  of 
average  men  and  women,  and  not  to  the  discriminat- 
ing and  intellectual,  overstress  the  sensual  side  of  the 
sex  relationship.  On  the  testimony  of  library  as- 
sistants and  booksellers,  these  highly  savoured  erotic 
novels  are  read  chiefly  by  young  women.  Three  to 
four  of  these  stories  are  read  in  a  week  by  a  large 
number  of  leisured  women.  This  constant  titilla- 
tion  of  the  mind  with  amorous  images  is  a  vicarious 
form  of  gratification  of  the  amative  instinct  and 
must  be  classed  among  the  auto-erotic  satisfactions. 

This  inordinate  absorption  of  very  stimulating 
fiction  has  its  psychic  and  physical  effects.  The 
reader  is  in  a  frequent  condition  of  erethism.  In 
some  morbid  cases  the  reading  of  erotic  stories  be- 
comes an  actual  substitute  for  normal  appeasement. 
Such  continued  hyperstimulation  of  the  imagination 
involves  a  tax  on  the  cerebral  and  nervous  system. 
It  is  sexually  unhygienic.  The  mind  should  not 
dwell  constantly  upon  the  sex  impulse.  Intellec- 


252      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

tually  this  intemperance  in  sensuous  novel-reading 
is  disastrous.  The  habit  of  lazily  skimming  books 
of  fiction  destroys  concentration  and  disables  the 
reader  from  reading  any  serious  literature  with  close 
attention  and  interest.  This  mental  tippling  is  a 
widespread  custom  among  idle  women. 

The  theme  of  modern  love  as  developed  by 
Thomas  Hardy,  Arnold  Bennett,  H.  G.  Wells,  Gals- 
worthy, Beresford,  Cannan,  Mackenzie  and  a  few 
other  thoughtful  novelists  of  to-day  is  of  very  con- 
siderable service  in  sex  education.  Whatever  the 
respective  aesthetic  defects  of  these  writers  may  be, 
they  write  with  that  knowledge  and  sincerity  that 
is  the  essence  of  ethical  and  artistic  morality. 
There  may  be  dissent  from  the  gentle  pessimism  of 
Hardy's  Jude  the  Obscure,  or  from  the  social  ethics 
of  Beresford's  Jacob  Stahl,  but  there  is  the  clear 
ring  of  truth  in  the  unfolding  of  the  love  or  "  hu- 
man "  interest.  There  is  no  sensuality  for  its  own 
sake  in  the  work  of  these  writers,  and  no  futile 
evasion  of  the  fact  that  sex  love  cannot  be  divorced 
from  the  senses. 

Instead  of  the  policy  of  "  the  locked  bookcase," 
there  should  be  helpful  guidance  of  the  young  in 
reading.  Children  and  adolescents  should  be  en- 
couraged to  talk  about  the  books  that  interest  them. 
The  banning  of  certain  volumes  may  be  necessary 
in  the  case  of  young  children.  There  is,  however, 
always  grave  risk  in  severe  prohibitions.  If  a 
wholesome  taste  is  fostered  the  child  will  not  be 
attracted  by  the  baser  kind  of  fiction,  and  will  reject 


THE  BOOK  253 

the  pornographic  and  the  unaesthetic.  It  is  impos- 
sible to  banish  the  emotional  and  erotic  stimuli  from 
the  life  of  an  adolescent  boy  or  girl.  We  can  di- 
minish the  excitations  and  supply  fine  inspirations  in 
the  place  of  mere  lubricity  by  an  appeal  to  the 
aesthetic  sense  and  the  emotion. 

A  reverential  attitude  towards  sex  should  be  in- 
culcated by  all  possible  means.  Children  should  be 
taught  that  indecency  is  ugly  or  blasphemous.  The 
most  beautiful  naked  statue  can  be  made  vulgar  by 
the  addition  of  a  single  article  of  dress,  and  a  lovely 
sonnet  marred  and  soiled  by  the  substitution  of  a 
single  word.  But  in  avoiding  the  Scylla  of  inde- 
cency we  must  always  be  careful  lest  we  fall  into 
the  Charybdis  of  prudery.  The  fanatical  priest  who 
went  to  public  museums  in  Germany,  and  defaced 
the  generative  organs  of  human  statues  with  a  ham- 
mer rendered  a  service  to  the  indecent  by  his  insane 
prudishness.  Thus  the  censoring  of  certain  pas- 
sages in  books  may  have  the  same  result.  The  most 
cautious  discrimination  is  essential  if  we  would 
avoid  stimulation  when  our  object  is  repression.  A 
veiled  fact  may  be  a  source  of  danger,  though  un- 
concealed it  may  prove  a  potent  moral  force. 

ii 

In  the  introductory  chapter  I  have  referred  to 
eminent  modern  opinion  upon  the  need  for  sex  edu- 
cation. The  specific  educational  volume  upon  this 
subject  is  a  quite  recent  product,  but  not  without 
precedents.  Sexual  hygiene  has  been  associated 


254     A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

with  the  great  theologies.  Moses,  Mahomet,  Zo- 
roaster, some  of  the  Christian  Fathers  and  Luther 
laid  down  moral  and  hygienic  rules  for  their  dis- 
ciples and  followers.  As  we  have  seen,  the  initia- 
tion rites  of  puberty  among  primitive  people  are  of 
the  nature  of  sexual  education.  In  the  Karma  Su- 
tra of  Vatsyayana  we  find  the  Brahminical  "  Rules 
of  Love "  explicitly  framed  for  the  guidance  of 
youth.  The  Catholic  Adveniat  Regnum  Tuum,  a 
modern  work,  contains  counsels  for  the  direction  of 
the  sex  impulse  in  the  young. 

Scattered  through  the  writings  of  social  reform- 
ers and  moralists  of  the  past  are  pleas  for  training 
the  young  in  the  conduct  of  the  sexual  life.  Bloch 
mentions  Rousseau,  Salzmann,  Basedow  and  Jean 
Paul  as  celebrated  pedagogues  who  advocated  the 
enlightenment  of  youth  at  an  early  age.  During 
the  past  fifty  years  in  Europe  and  America  the  out- 
put of  books  especially  designed  for  the  young  has 
been  very  considerable.  In  France,  Germany,  Aus- 
tria, Russia  and  the  Scandinavian  countries  the  ques- 
tion of  imparting  this  necessary  knowledge  has  come 
into  the  scope  of  sociology  and  pedagogics. 

America  has  taken  a  leading  part  in  the  crusade 
against  ignorance,  and  some  of  the  best  contribu- 
tions to  the  discussion  and  the  soundest  constructive 
volumes  are  being  produced  in  the  United  States. 

It  is  inevitable  that  unqualified  and  ill-equipped 
writers  have  contributed  to  the  large  and  growing 
library  of  works  upon  sex  problems  and  sex  educa- 
tion. In  the  main,  the  authors  of  the  inadequate 


THE  BOOK  255 

books  and  the  "  scare  literature  "  with  a  sentimental, 
religious  tone  are  actuated  by  humane  motives.  A 
proportion  of  the  publications  are,  however,  mani- 
festly issued  as  "  good  sellers,"  and  appear  with 
catch-penny  titles,  and  in  somewhat  flamboyant, 
illustrated  covers.  Others  are  sent  out  by  quacks 
who  advertise  drugs  or  mechanical  remedies  for 
those  who  have  "  lost  manhood,"  or  "  shattered 
nervous  systems,"  etc.,  through  "  self -abuse  "  and 
sexual  vice. 

The  uninformed  parent,  clergyman  or  teacher  de- 
siring a  means  of  enlightening  themselves  or  young 
people  in  their  care  often  purchase  the  much-adver- 
tised books  or  pamphlets  in  good  faith.  We  must 
first  teach  the  teacher.  A  volume  bearing  the  name 
of  a  clergyman  or  a  medical  practitioner  as  author 
is  not  necessarily  reliable  throughout.  Some  min- 
isters and  philanthropists  who  write  with  fervour  on 
these  subjects  are  entirely  untrained  in  physiology 
and  psychology.  All  exhortation  must  be  supported 
by  biological  knowledge  and  an  enlightened  under- 
standing of  human  nature.  Frequently  the  mis- 
statements  in  books  of  this  class  actually  defeat  the 
ends  of  purity  and  morality.  There  is  harmful 
ignorance  as  well  as  pernicious  vice.  Either  of 
these  factors  militate  against  moral  truth. 

Some  of  the  books  by  medical  authors  of  a  past 
school  of  thought  are  practically  discredited  now- 
adays by  scientific  criticism  and  the  growth  of  ac- 
cumulated knowledge  and  experience.  For  exam- 
ple, the  once  almost  classic  Dr.  Acton,  author  of 


256     A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

Prostitution,  The  Reproductive  Organs,  and  other 
volumes,  can  only  be  read  cautiously  and  with  due 
regard  for  his  strong  preconceptions  and  personal 
bias.  Acton,  who  wrote  about  fifty  years  ago, 
denies  all  erotic  physical  response  in  women,  and 
denounces  any  ascription  of  sexual  desire  to  the  sex 
as  "  a  vile  aspersion."  *  A  medical  man  who  is  so 
blind  to  the  facts  of  everyday  life  can  scarcely  be 
accepted  as  a  guide  for  teachers.  Such  a  pro- 
nouncement read  by  a  totally  uninstructed  and  un- 
critical young  woman  might  prove  in  after  years  a 
source  of  profound  emotional  and  nervous  dis- 
equilibrium. 

While  the  most  valid  contributions  to  the  study  of 
the  sexual  problem  are  the  work  of  physicians,  there 
are  still  some  medical  writers  who  manifest  de- 
ficient psychological  insight  and  a  restraining  re- 
spect for  traditional  interpretations. 

The  question  of  the  right  book  is  not  an  easy  one. 
H.  G.  Wells  has  said :  "  The  printed  word  may  be 
such  a  quiet  counsellor."  This  is  quite  true.  The 
difficulty  is  to  find  the  really  sound  and  informative 
counsellor.  Titles,  contents  and  the  names  of  the 
writers  may  all  mislead  the  seeker  for  counsel.  We 
must  always  bear  in  mind  that  a  vast  number  of  men 
and  women  are  supremely  ignorant  of  the  whole 
question,  or  possess  only  the  crudest  knowledge. 
Often  a  bias  against  any  heed  to  the  subject  has  to 

1  See  criticism  by  Havelock  Ellis  in  "  The  Sexual  Impulse 
in  Women  "  in  Studies  in  the  Psychology  of  Sex. 


THE  BOOK  257 

be  broken  down.  This  resistance  hinders  some 
from  any  attempt  at  enlightenment  of  the  mind,  and 
places  them  entirely  remote  from  any  chance  of  use- 
fulness in  imparting  information  to  the  young. 


PART  IV 


CHAPTER  I 

THE    MENACE    OF   IGNORANCE 


THROUGHOUT  the  preceding  chapters  stress  has  been 
laid  upon  the  dangers  of  a  lack  of  knowledge  of  the 
nature  and  development  of  the  erotic  impulse  in 
childhood  and  youth,  and  the  need  for  devising  the 
best  system  of  instruction.  There  may  be,  however, 
some  readers  who  still  underestimate  the  perils  of 
ignorance.  They  may  desire  concrete  and  specific 
instances  of  the  psychic  and  physical  enlightenment. 
The  traditional  fallacy  and  misunderstanding  that 
obscure  the  subject  tend  to  the  assumption  that  the 
enthusiastic  advocates  of  sex  education  overstate  the 
evils  of  ignorance.  It  is  sometimes  urged  that  the 
average  citizen,  guided  by  "  natural  instinct,"  is  not 
confronted  with  problems  of  sex. 

If  we  examine  this  view  cautiously,  we  shall  dis- 
cover that  the  mental  and  moral  conflicts  arising 
from  the  profoundest  of  the  emotions  are  often 
transferred  or  manifested  in  vicarious  or  symbolic 
forms.  A  person  may  attribute  depression  of  mind, 
nervous  symptoms,  sleeplessness,  anxiety,  and  bod- 
ily functional  disturbances  to  overstrain  in  work,  un- 
congenial surroundings  or  pecuniary  worry,  when 

261 


262     A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

these  are  merely  the  contributing  factors.  The 
basic  cause  of  the  trouble  is  often  far  from  the  suf- 
ferer's consciousness.  Doubtless,  the  trials  and 
worries  of  the  conscious  mind  aggravate  the  nerv- 
ousness and  contribute  to  the  depression,  though  fre- 
quently these  are  less  important  than  the  subject 
suspects.  The  fact  is  that  very  few  indeed  can  pos- 
sibly escape  entirely  from  the  psychic  amative  con- 
flict in  modern  civilised  life. 

The  primary  source  of  a  psychoneurosis,  or  of 
hysteria,  is  traumatic  —  e.  g.  arising  from  physical 
shock,  or  injury,  or  mental  insults.  The  symptoms 
may  not  show  themselves  immediately  after  the 
lesion,  but  may  be  induced  later  on  by  a  "  liberating 
stimulus."  As  an  analogy,  we  may  cite  the  in- 
stance of  the  patient  who  believes  that  his  rheuma- 
tism is  due  to  lying  down  on  wet  grass.  But  many 
persons  lie  on  wet  ground  without  contracting  rheu- 
matism. Exposure  to  damp  may  act  as  the  liberat- 
ing stimulus  for  microbes  in  the  body,  but  the  get- 
ting wet  is  not  the  cause  of  the  complaint. 

Shell-shock  may  act  as  a  liberating  stimulus  for 
a  neurotic  injury  of  old  standing,  which  may  not 
be  even  suspected.  One  man  in  the  trenches  is 
scarcely  alarmed  by  an  explosion  that  may  shatter 
another  man's  nerves.  For  one  woman  the  loss  of 
a  child  means  a  veiling  of  the  sun  and  the  deepest 
despondency;  for  a  less  affectable  woman  it  is  a 
transitory  grief,  and  for  the  abnormal  it  may  not 
be  even  a  cause  of  sorrow. 

A  curious  and  incomprehensible  obsession  may 


THE  MENACE  OF  IGNORANCE     263 

arise,  as  an  echo  of  a  far-off  childish  impulse,  under 
a  sufficiently  powerful  stimulus.  There  is  no  doubt 
that  an  early  psychic  insult  or  shock  often  produces 
in  predisposed  individuals  marked  perturbations, 
which,  though  not  strictly  normal,  cannot  be  classed 
as  morbid. 

We  have  to  admit  that  the  strain  and  complexity 
of  modern  life  in  the  civilised  communities  is  a 
fruitful  agent  of  mental  and  nervous  disturbance 
and  of  actual  insanity.  It  may  be  that  "  love  trou- 
bles "  are  not  the  commonest  source  of  actual  cere- 
bral derangement,  but  there  is  no  question  that  erotic 
problems  in  our  time  engender  minor  forms  of  nerv- 
ous and  psychic  disorder,  especially  in  women. 

The  ancient  association  of  hysteria  with  the  womb 
was  not  as  entirely  fanciful  as  it  appears.  There  is, 
at  all  events,  a  close  connection  between  the  gener- 
ative force  and  the  mental  faculties.  It  is  widely 
admitted  by  investigators  that  psychic  sexual  in- 
fluences are  notable  in  hysteria.  We  must  not  the- 
orise crudely  that  hysterical  symptoms  in  women  are 
the  result  of  enforced  celibacy  and  unsatisfied  phys- 
ical desire.  But  we  may  say  safely  that  sexual- 
emotional  injuries  are  a  common  cause  of  hysteria 
in  both  men  and  women.  The  fact  that  the  suf- 
ferer is  unconscious  of  the  injury  does  not  weaken 
the  evidence  of  a  traumatic  origin. 

In  a  recorded  case  of  hysteria  in  a  girl  of  seven- 
teen, the  first  attack  occurred  when  a  cat  jumped  on 
to  her  shoulder  as  she  was  going  downstairs.  Here 
apparently  was  the  primary  shock.  But  this  in- 


264     A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

cident  was  not  the  efficient  cause.  Inquiry  proved 
that,  on  a  previous  occasion,  a  young  man  had  made 
advances  to  her  on  the  stairs  and  that  her  emotions 
had  been  awakened. 

Again  and  again  we  discover  that  psychoneurotic 
manifestations  arise  from  such  occurrences.  The 
primary  injury  may  be  caused  by  a  mere  startling 
conversation  on  sexual  matters  with  a  companion  in 
childhood;  sudden  violent  erotic  overtures,  the  con- 
flict in  the  mind  of  a  young  woman  who  finds  her- 
self falling  in  love  \\ '  h  a  friend's  husband,  or  the 
discovery  of  sexual  ir  -egularity  in  a  respected  rela- 
tive. Any  of  these  xperiences  may  be  kept  in- 
violably secret,  and  every  effort  made  to  forget 
them.  They  may  sink  down  into  the  under-con- 
scious mind,  and  there  remain  submerged,  but  not 
destroyed.  The  very  fact  that  they  cannot  be  men- 
tioned, through  fear,  shame,  intense  reserve,  or 
prudery,  seems  to  add  tenacity  to  these  impressions. 
There  is  "  a  foreign  body  in  the  consciousness  " 
which,  sooner  or  later,  is  likely  to  cause  trouble. 

ii 

The  foregoing  passages  may  enable  the  reader 
to  realise  that  guidance  in  sexual  development  pro- 
vides at  least  a  measure  of  protection  against  psychic 
sex  injuries.  The  utterly  unguided  are  undoubtedly 
those  who  are  most  liable  to  exposure  to  these 
shocks,  and  the  most  likely  to  suffer  extremely. 
"  Leave  the  direction  to  nature  "  is  the  recommenda- 
tion of  the  unenlightened.  We  know  that  the  boy 


THE  MENACE  OF  IGNORANCE     265 

or  girl,  carefully  shielded  in  the  home  from  all 
"  impure  influences,"  and  not  prepared  with  neces-  I 
sary  knowledge,  may  learn  corruption  in  half-an- 
hour  from  the  speech  or  the  example  of  a  bad 
youthful  companion,  or  a  debased  elder.  This  is  a 
matter  of  everyday  happening. 

The  mystery,  the  silence,  the  fear  and  the  be- 
wildering personal  fantasies  associated  with  the  in- 
stinct of  love  leave  the  great  mass  of  men  and 
women  exposed  to  psychic  lesions.  Profoundly 
deep  prejudices,  repugnances  and  disgusts  may  be- 
come embedded  in  the  mental  texture  in  childhood, 
to  result  in  later  life  in  neurosis,  vice,  failure  in  mar- 
riage or  grave  errors  in  living.  The  greater  part 
of  one's  intellectual  energy  may  be  used  up  for  a 
considerable  period  in  an  effort  to  expel  the  delu- 
sions foisted  upon  the  mind  in  youth.  A  revelation 
of  actuality,  after  a  long  dream  of  unreality,  fre- 
quently brings  a  serious  psychic  crisis.  The  psy- 
chology of  the  sexual  life  abounds  with  instances. 

The  persistence  of  early  impressions  in  the 
psychic-sexual  sphere  is  very  remarkable,  and  must 
be  recognised  by  all  who  are  engaged  in  the  training 
of  the  young.  Sidis. studied  a  case  of  a  man  who 
feared  a  perverted  obsession  :hat  assailed  him.  Un- 
der analysis  it  was  found  t  at  in  his  eighth  year 
schoolmates  had  committed  an  outrage  on  the  pa- 
tient. Abhorrent  as  the  idea  was  to  the  subject, 
thoughts  of  abnormal  practices  continually  invaded 
his  mind,  causing  much  distress. 

The   over-accentuation   of    reserve  towards   sex 


266     A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

matters  in  childhood  and  youth,  which  is  part  of  the 
policy  of  "  protecting  the  young,"  often  fails  dis- 
astrously. This  is  especially  noticeable  in  women. 
A  complete  ignorance  renders  the  mind  intensely 
susceptible  to  shock ;  and  it  cannot  be  too  frequently 
repeated  that  sexual  affronts  or  shocks  are  often 
serious,  and  accountable  for  much  married  dishar- 
mony, unhappiness,  and  even  tragedy.  There  are 
instances  of  ignorant  brides  mistaking  their  hus- 
band's normal  conjugal  ardour  for  grossness  or  im- 
morality. The  sudden  confronting  with  altogether 
novel  experiences  hitherto  associated  with  sin  or  dis- 
gust may  well  alarm  and  repel  the  uninstructed  vir- 
gin. It  is  in  such  revulsions  in  the  early  days  of 
marriage  that  discord  of  the  most  serious  character 
arises;  and  from  one  moment  of  recoil  may  follow 
years  of  secret  unhappiness  and  the  annihilation  of 
affection  and  esteem. 

in 

The  following  cases  of  the  mischievous  results  of 
ignorance  have  come  under  my  own  observation,  or 
have  been  described  to  me  by  friends. 

Case  i. —  A  medical  friend  relates  that,  in  his 
student  days,  he  shared  rooms  with  a  fellow-student, 
X.  Returning  one  night,  he  saw  his  companion 
sitting  in  an  easy-chair,  apparently  half  asleep.  As 
X.  did  not  reply  when  spoken  to,  his  friend  ap- 
proached him  and  saw  a  laceration  in  his  throat. 
The  cut  was  deep,  but  had  missed  the  more  vital 


THE  MENACE  OF  IGNORANCE      267 

parts  and  X.  had  collapsed.  His  companion  gave 
him  medical  attention,  stopped  the  bleeding  and 
dressed  the  wound.  This  attempted  suicide  of  X. 
was  the  result  of  terror  and  brooding,  induced  by 
reading  a  lurid  pamphlet  on  the  frightful  and  in- 
evitable consequences  of  masturbation.  X.  had 
never  spoken  of  his  dread  and  sufferings,  and  had 
been  driven  into  sheer  despondency.  He  recovered 
of  the  injury  to  the  throat,  and  of  his  depression. 
His  friend  dispelled  his  fears  and  gave  him  sound 
hygienic  counsel. 

Case  2. —  A  young  woman  of  the  middle  class, 
brought  up  in  total  ignorance  of  the  meaning  of 
conjugal  relations,  became  engaged  at  twenty-four. 
She  read  a  pamphlet  explaining  the  reproductive 
process  and  was  "  horrified."  Later,  she  learned 
from  a  novel  that  women  have  sex  impulses,  and 
was  appalled  to  discover  that  her  sex  could  be  so 
"  immoral."  She  married  a  man  a  few  years  older 
than  herself.  The  marriage  has  been  very  unhappy, 
and  the  pair  have  separated.  The  husband  has  since 
developed  alcoholism. 

Case  3. —  A  man,  married  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
eight,  had  been  told,  that  the  marital  function  was 
extremely  "  weakening."  He  practised  rigid  con- 
tinence for  periods  of  months,  and  the  conjugal  re- 
lation was  never  quite  normal.  His  wife,  who  was 
normally  constituted,  physically  and  mentally,  suf- 
fered acutely  through  his  coldness.  She  developed 
neurasthenia,  a  bad  form  of  anaemia,  and  eventually 


268      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

an  affection  of  the  heart,  from  which  she  died  at  the 
age  of  thirty-four.  She  attributed  much  of  her  ill- 
health  to  her  disappointment  in  marriage. 

Case  4. —  A  woman  with  a  high  ideal  of  love  and 
marriage  and  a  deeply  religious  nature,  married,  at 
about  thirty,  a  widower  with  four  children.  The 
husband  was  pious  and  Puritanical.  Disharmony 
arose  from  the  honeymoon,  owing  to  the  man's 
maladroitness  in  conjugal  duties,  and  the  bride  de- 
veloped a  strong  repugnance  to  the  marital  relation, 
which  became  a  positive  loathing.  She  was  often 
reproached  by  her  partner  for  not  obeying  St.  Paul 
and  "  submitting  herself  .to  her  husband."  Her  life 
was -very  unhappy.  The  pair  quarrelled  frequently, 
and  the  wife  had  no  affection  for  her  husband. 
Though  she  wished  to  leave  him,  her  strong  Chris- 
tian principles  forbade  a  severance  of  the  marriage 
tie.  Both  partners  were  prudish  in  their  attitude 
to  sexual  affairs.  The  wife  taught  her  daughters 
that  "  the  physical  part  of  marriage  "  was  "  hor- 
rible." 

Case  5. —  Mrs.  T.,  brought  up  in  conventional 
ignorance,  married  at  thirty.  On  the  bridal  night 
she  told  her  husband  that  she  would  never  consent 
to  intercourse.  As  persuasion  failed,  Mr.  T.  re- 
fused to  use  force  and  the  marriage  has  never  been 
consummated.  The  husband  has  formed  a  clandes- 
tine intimacy  with  the  wife's  close  friend. 

Case  6. —  A  normal  young  man  married  a  sex- 
ually anesthetic  (frigid)  woman.  She  frequently 
repelled  her  husband's  ardour  and  caused  him  great 


THE  MENACE  OF  IGNORANCE     269 

mental  suffering.  The  wife's  coldness  induced 
psychic  sexual  impotence  in  the  husband.  After 
much  unhappiness,  the  pair  were  divorced.  The 
man  married  again,  and  became  normal  and  potent. 

Case  7. —  A  girl  married  an  ardent  suitor.  Soon 
after  union  she  expressed  disgust  for  the  physical 
intimacies  of  wedlock,  and  blamed  nature  for  "  in- 
venting such  a  scheme."  The  disappointed  husband 
resorted  to  alcohol  as  a  solace.  In  a  few  years  he 
was  unfaithful,  and  his  wife  divorced  him.  He  has 
married  again  and  is  happy. 

These  are  by  no  means  rare  instances  of  the  re- 
sult of  ignorance.  They  are  unfortunately  typical. 
The  more  experience  of  life  gained,  the  deeper  be- 
comes the  conviction  that  the  neglect  of  the  art  of 
love,  which  is  the  very  basis  of  happy  marriage,  is 
the  cause  of  some  of  the  profoundest  misery  known 
to  humanity.  In  the  majority  of  unions  there  has 
been  no  attempt  to  acquire  even  theoretical  scientific 
knowledge,  and  no  plain  apprehension  of  the  fact 
that  the  spiritual  felicities  depend  upon  mutual  rec- 
ognition of  the  necessity  for  cultivating  the  mind  in 
the  right  conduct  of  a  lifelong,  intensely  intimate 
and  very  complex  relationship.  Love  is  a  tender 
and  precious  bloom,  beautiful  beyond  our  dreams, 
but,  like  all  fragile  flowers,  it  is  vulnerable  to  rude 
winds,  sensitive  to  frost,  and  liable  to  languish  and 
pine  without  constant  care  and  tendance. 

The  presuppositions  of  most  persons,  and  espe- 
cially of  the  closely  "  guarded  "  virgin,  concerning 
marital  conduct  are.  derived  from  surmises  and  tra- 


270     A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

ditions  of  fantasy  and  ignorance,  which  would  be 
ludicrous  were  they  not  tragic  in  their  consequences. 
It  is  an  amazing  anomaly  that  the  most  important 
matter  in  our  lives  should  be  one  that  we  place  out- 
side of  the  boundary  of  approved  knowledge.  That 
there  can  be  any  association  between  a  romantic, 
passionate  love  and  the  classification  of  facts  that 
will  aid  in  confirming  and  conserving  the  emotion 
is,  to  some  minds,  an  apparently  incomprehensible 
proposition.  But  it  is  absolutely  beyond  dispute 
that  knowledge  must  take  the  place  of  fantasy  in 
the  practical  usage  of  the  potent  emotion  of  love. 
In  no  human  sphere  is  ignorance  so  perilous  as  in 
conjugal  love. 

The  more  we  learn  of  the  potentiality  of  a  har- 
monious co-operation  of  the  sexes  in  the  supreme 
task  of  giving  life,  the  moral  influence  that  is  dif- 
fused by  successful  marriages,  and  the  excellence 
of  a  realisation  of  "  a  city  of  lovers  and  friends," 
the  more  urgent  is  our  desire  that  this  force  should 
be  studied  in  all  its  phases,  bearings  and  possibilities. 
We  are  urged,  therefore,  to  place  the  psychology  of 
love  in  the  foremost  rank  of  the  inquiries  essential 
for  founding  a  finer  ethical  standard,  a  practical 
sociology  and  a  new  ideal  of  racial  regeneration. 
In  fine,  we  need  a  Science  of  Sex. 

"  Whenever  there  is  the  slightest  possibility  for 
'the  human  mind  to  know,  there  is  a  legitimate  prob- 
lem of  science.  Outside  the  actual  field  of  knowl- 
edge can  only  lie  a  region  of  the  vaguest  opinion  and 
imagination,  to  which  unfortunately  men  too  often, 


THE  MENACE  OF  IGNORANCE      271 

but  still  with  decreasing  prevalence,  pay  higher  re- 
spect than  to  knowledge."  1 

In  the  actual  cases  given  above,  the  menace  of 
ignorance  among  women  is  clearly  instanced.  Most 
matrimonial  trouble  must  be  ascribed  to  this  mental 
unpreparedness  for  an  entirely  new  relation  with 
one  of  the  other  sex.  Psychic  affront  is  an  ex- 
tremely common  phenomenon  among  women.  It  is 
a  frequent  cause  of  coldness  in  conjugality,  the  sex- 
ual anaesthesia  that  provides  a  harassing  problem 
for  a  host  of  husbands,  and  blights  the  joy  of  wed- 
lock for  a  greater  host  of  women.  Dr.  Marie 
Stopes  is  disposed  to  believe  that  probably  eighty  per 
cent,  of  wives  do  not  experience  the  benefit  that 
nature  has  ordained  as  the  accompaniment  of  the  sex 
act.  When  I  mentioned  this  estimate  to  a  married 
man  and  the  father  of  a  family,  he  remarked  that 
it  was  too  low.  He  believed  that  there  are  not  even 
twenty  per  cent,  of  married  women  who  know  this 
happiness. 

Ellis  has  collected  many  instances  of  mental  suf- 
fering and  physical  injuries,  some  of  them  serious, 
through  ignorance  of  marital  function.  "  It  is  in- 
deed astounding  to  find  how  ignorant,  both  prac- 
tically and  theoretically,  very  able  and  highly  edu- 
cated men  may  be  concerning  sexual  matters."  2 

The  roue  deceives  himself  that  he  understands 
women  and  love.  Often  he  does  not  possess  the 
least  comprehension  of  the  virginal  mind.  His  ex- 

1  Prof.  Karl  Pearson,  The  Grammar  of  Science. 

2  Sex  in  Relation  to  Society. 


272      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

periences  with  professional  courtesans  have  imbued 
him  with  false  ideas  concerning  women.  One  med- 
ical authority  records  over  one  hundred  and  fifty 
cases  of  injury  inflicted  by  husbands  on  wives.  The 
psychic  harm  is  frequently  even  more  serious  in 
after-effects;  the  emotions  receive  deep  wounds, 
leaving  scars  that  may  last  for  a  lifetime.  Repug- 
nance shown  by  wives  towards  natural  union  is 
extremely  frequent,  and  the  prime  cause  must  be 
sought  in  the  ignorance  of  both  sexes. 

It  may  be  said  truly  that  we  are  all  of  us  the 
unthinking  victims  of  an  evil  upbringing,  which 
exposes  us  from  childhood  to  senility  to  injury  to 
ourselves  and  to  the  risk  of  injuring  even  those 
whom  we  most  love. 

IV 

The  chances  of  committing  error  in  wedlock  must 
remain  very  high  until  the  great  mass  of  men  and 
women  are  educated  in  conjugal  behaviour  from  all 
standpoints,  psychic,  moral  and  physiological.  We 
shall  never  solve  the  riddle  why  marriage  is  so  often 
a  failure  until  we  realise  this  fact.  It  is  well  to 
preach  love,  patience,  forbearance,  sympathy  and 
control.  But  these  excellent  factors  of  married 
affection  may  fail  completely  if  psychic  injury, 
wrought  through  ignorance,  is  the  misfortune  of 
one  partner  or  the  other.  A  mental  shock  in  an 
hour  of  tense  emotion  may  shatter  the  hope  of  con- 
jugal happiness  during  life.  So  potent  is  the  influ- 
ence of  the  mind  upon  the  body  that  a  shock  to  the 


THE  MENACE  OF  IGNORANCE     273 

sensitive  soul  frequently  inhibits  the  normal  expres- 
sion of  wedded  love  for  the  whole  span  of  existence. 
However  deeply  the  affronted  person  may  long  to 
banish  the  inhibiting  feeling,  it  still  endures,  and 
defies  expulsion.  The  obstructing  recoil,  or  the 
aversion,  may  be  clearly  viewed  as  irrational  or 
abnormal.  Nevertheless  the  sufferer's  will  is  par- 
alysed. The  delicate  psychic  mechanism  has  been 
jarred  beyond  repair. 

We  are  apt  to  attempt  the  impossible  by  severing 
body  and  spirit  in  an  estimate  of  the  love  of  the 
sexes.  The  most  inspiring  and  beautiful  instances 
of  spiritual  love  in  marriage  arise  from  the  for- 
tunate fusion  of  two  psychic  and  corporal  affinities. 
In  these  unions  we  shall  never  fail  to  discern  a  har- 
monious adjustment  and  intermingling  of  the  two 
vital  elements.  We  often  attribute  these  successful 
marriages  to  chance.  No  doubt,  in  spite  of  knowl- 
edge and  discretion,  a  man  or  a  woman  may  be 
swept,  on  a  mighty  wave  of  emotion,  into  a  dis- 
astrous union.  But  we  are  prone  to  overvalue  the 
influence  of  "  chance  "  in  wedlock,  and  to  accept  a 
fatalistic  view  of  the  possibility  of  great  felicity. 
If  we  convince  ourselves  that  this  is  a  question  of 
"  sheer  luck,"  we  are  scarcely  likely  to  prepare  our- 
selves for  the  risks.  It  would  be  as  reasonable  to 
argue  that  success  in  business  is  "  all  a  matter  of 
luck."  We  are  shrewd  enough  to  recognise  that 
knowledge  counts  in  the  struggle  for  money-getting. 
Cannot  knowledge  aid  us  in  the  realisation  of  love 
and  concord  in  wedlock? 


274      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

The  true  consummation  of  love  in  marriage  is 
continually  threatened  and  hindered  by  the  common 
mistakes  repeated  generation  after  generation. 
Men  and  women  continue  to  reproach  one  another 
and  to  foster  antagonism,  through  the  neglect  of 
knowledge  of  the  secondary  sexual  characters. 
Women  think  that  men  can  be  lured  or  coerced  into 
denials  or  to  actions  which  are  inherently  more 
feminine  than  masculine;  and  men  often  imagine 
that  women  can  be  shaped  intellectually  and  emo- 
tionally upon  the  male  model.  The  comparative 
passivity  of  women  in  love  is  a  cause  of  offence  to 
one  man  and  a  high  virtue  in  the  esteem  of  another. 
Both  men  view  the  matter  with  an  absence  of  psy- 
chological comprehension.  This  "  passivity "  is 
often  the  disguise  assumed  by  a  sensitive  woman 
reared  in  the  masculine  tradition  that  women  should 
live  in  vestal  ignorance.  Man  unjustly  censures 
woman  for  the  very  qualities  that  ages  of  patriarchal 
authority  have  imposed  upon  her. 

With  equal  unreason,  some  women  frequently 
admonish  men  because  they  are  apt  to  place  great 
importance  on  the  gratification  of  the  erotic  im- 
pulse. Women  forget  that  this  is  a  male  charac- 
teristic throughout  organic  nature,  and  overlook  the 
fact  that  all  along  the  line  of  human  evolution  their 
sex  has  accentuated  maleness  by  choosing  the  most 
vigorous  and  virile  men  as  partners.  Men  have  in- 
tensified women's  innate  amorous  resistances  by 
means  of  proscriptions  and  penalties,  and  women 
have  heightened  man's  eroticism  by  numerous  lures 


THE  MENACE  OF  IGNORANCE      275 

and  also  by  the  enforced  cultivation  of  an  extreme 
reserve  and  diffidence.  Instead  of  blaming  each 
other  for  a  condition  that  has  developed  out  of  ages 
of  slow  evolution,  barbaric  experiment,  and  a  lack 
of  psychology,  both  sexes  should  endeavour  to  re- 
adjust their  relations  by  beginning  to  learn  some 
of  the  fundamental  sex  differences  in  structure,  dis- 
position, aptitude,  intellect,  emotion,  aspiration  and 
desire. 

Reverting  to  the  question  of  the  perils  of  igno- 
rance, it  may  be  said  that  a  volume  at  least  might  be 
written  on  the  subject.  There  is  the  eugenic  ideal 
of  race  culture,  that  tends  to  the  highest  moral  and 
physical  well-being  of  offspring  and  posterity,  and 
there  is  the  dysgenic  practice,  which  prevails  wher- 
ever knowledge  is  in  disesteem. 

The  eugenic  question  covers  too  wide  a  field  for 
even  brief  discussion.  I  may,  however,  attempt  to 
show  the  prevalence  of  some  factors  of  degenera- 
tion. The  high  infant  mortality  rate,  the  increase 
of  mental  defectives,  the  too  common  occurrence  of 
premature  births,  still-births  and  miscarriages,  the 
inability  of  many  mothers  to  suckle  their  children, 
the  enormous  prevalence  of  uterine  displacement, 
the  number  of  ovarian  maladies,  the  results  of  the 
racial  poisons  of  alcohol,  syphilis  and  tuberculosis, 
the  extent  of  sterility,  the  effects  of  hard  labour 
upon  the  maternal  function,  and  the  risks  to  na- 
tional health  through  too  frequent  rapidly  successive 
pregnancies  —  all  these  evils  are  of  vital  social  sig- 
nificance. Most  of  them,  if  not  all,  are  remediable. 


276     A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

It  is  a  question  of  social  science,  moral  solicitude 
and  systematic  action. 

As  we  advance  in  civilisation  and  humanism,  we 
may  reach  a  period  when  it  will  be  considered  im- 
moral to  permit  the  young  to  grow  up  in  ignorance 
of  the  supremest  duties  of  mankind.  Our  heirs  of 
a  higher  social  order  will  look  back  with  wonder- 
ing horror  upon  the  preventable  sin,  disease  and 
misery  of  our  day,  as  we  gaze  now  upon  the  pages 
of  past  human  apathy,  ignorance,  vice  and  folly. 

Every  young  man  and  woman  about  to  enter  upon 
the  responsible  duties  of  parenthood  should  have 
passed  through  a  graduated  course  of  sex  education 
from  the  nursery  to  the  school,  and  from  the  school 
to  the  public  lecture  or  to  the  hygienic  and  tnera- 
peutic  counsellors  appointed  by  the  State.  There 
should  be  full  scientific  instruction  for  girls  before 
marriage.  The  care  of  health  during  menstruation 
and  pregnancy  and  infant  hygiene  and  the  manage- 
ment of  children  ought  to  be  foremost  subjects  in  all 
female  educational  schemes.  Both  sexes  should  be 
taught  that  haphazard  procreation  is  a  sin.  The 
SQlemnity  of  the  function  of  giving  life  must  be 
impressed  upon  the  mind  at  puberty.  Upon  marry- 
ing, young  couples  should  know  the  rules  of  healthy 
conjugal  life,  the  varying  emotional  and  physical 
needs  of  man  and  woman,  and  the  importance  of 
shielding  the  unborn  child  from  harm.  They  should 
have  learned  that  breast-fed  childen  stand  a  better 
chance  of  attaining  vigour  and  beauty,  and  resisting 
diseases,  than  the  artificially  nourished.  They 


THE  MENACE  OF  IGNORANCE     277 

should  understand  that  every  human  being  born 
ought  to  have  a  fair  start,  not  only  from  birth,  but 
from  the  time  when  its  potentialities  lie  in  the  germ 
plasm  of  the  progenitors. 

Early  marriage  should  be  encouraged  by  the  mor- 
alist and  the  social  hygienist  as  the  most  effective 
restraint  upon  vice,  and  for  the  physical  and  mental 
welfare  of  society.  Enforced  child-bearing  should 
be  condemned.  The  wife  should  be  the  owner  of 
her  body  and  the  determining  partner  in  the  matter 
of  reproduction. 

A  high  enthusiasm  for  the  production  of  beautiful 
and  vigorous  offspring  should  be  cultivated  by  every 
possible  means.  The  fallacy  that  the  healthiest  par- 
ents produce  the  largest  families  of  healthy  children 
should  be  corrected.  When  children  are  born  rap- 
idly from  a  single  mother,  the  chances  of  death  for 
the  later-born  children  are  very  great,  and  the  later 
offspring  are  likely  to  be  feeble.  The  seventh-born 
die  in  some  communities  at  the  rate  of  330  per  1000, 
and  more  than  half  of  the  twelfth-born  infants  in 
every  thousand  are  doomed  to  an  early  death. 
There  is  a  steady  rise  in  the  infant  death-rate  per 
1000  after  the  birth  of  the  fourth  child. 

The  burning  question  of  sexual  hygiene  before 
and  after  marriage  can  no  longer  be  excluded  from 
education  in  the  home  and  the  school  on  the  plea 
that  such  teaching  is  non-essential.  Louder  and 
more  insistent  comes  the  demand  from  thoughtful 
persons  in  every  civilised  country  and  in  every  class 
of  the  community.  The  Great  War  has  opened  the 


278      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

eyes  of  a  multitude  to  the  existence  of  menacing 
problems  connected  with  the  relations  of  the  sexes. 
The  savage  survivals  of  fierce  and  cruel  lusts  have 
been  instanced  in  foul  enemy  atrocities  that  cannot 
be  published  openly.  The  untimely  deaths  of  hosts 
of  the  most  vigorous  men  and  the  maiming  of  the 
body  and  the  mind  of  countless  thousands  have  com- 
plicated the  social  anomaly  of  the  unmated  woman. 
The  aftermath  of  war  provides  new  enigmas  for 
the  eugenist,  the  reformer  in  sexual  hygiene,  the 
legislator  and  the  educator. 


A  common  example  of  the  contradictions,  con- 
flicting ideas  and  the  prevailing  haze  in  the  aver- 
age mind,  when  sexual  questions  are  discussed,  is 
the  tendency  to  refer  the  amative  instinct  to  a  low 
or  animal  sphere  of  human  nature.  Yet  nothing 
shows  the  great  differentiation  between  the  sex  im- 
pulse in  the  animal  and  the  man  than  the  man's  ca- 
pacity for  making  love  serve  other  high  purposes 
besides  the  generative. 

Nature's  processes  are  slow.  We  are  fain  to 
believe  that  the  genus  Man  is  extremely  ancient. 
If  mankind  has  existed  on  the  globe  for  five  hun- 
dred thousand  years,  what  is  such  a  period  in  the 
cosmic  sense?  It  is  certain  that  animals  peopled 
the  earth  scores  of  millions  of  years  before  men 
were  known.  For  an  aeon  of  time  there  were  no 
human  beings  in  the  world.  The  vaunted  "  lord  of 
creation "  is  a  recent  development  of  animal  life, 


THE  MENACE  OF  IGNORANCE      279 

and  in  his  body  are  numerous  vestigial  organs  re- 
minding him  of  his  pre-human  ancestry.  In  the 
brain  of  man  also  are  thoughts,  desires,  passions  and 
impulses  of  brute-like,  feral,  barbarous  fore-run- 
ners. 

The  history  of  human  love  is  still  in  its  earliest 
pages.  Romantic  passion  as  we  know  it  is  a  recent 
development.  There  are  races  of  men  on  the  earth 
to-day  whose  love  ideals  scarcely  attain  to  those  of 
the  birds  and  the  higher  mammals.  There  are  hosts 
of  men  and  women  in  the  advanced  civilised  states 
whose  conception  of  love  is  hardly  above  the  ani- 
mal plane.  On  the  other  hand,  there  are  some 
highly  evolved  human  beings  who  instance  the  enor- 
mous potentiality  of  this  passion  of  the  soul  and  the 
body  in  noble  lives,  the  sublimation  of  the  coarser 
sensual  elements,  and  the  exaltation  of  the  spiritual. 
They  are  those  who  show  us  the  possibilities  of  sex 
love  in  its  finest  development,  and  inspire  hope  for 
an  era  when  this  spiritualising  power  will  emerge 
from  the  swamps  and  thickets  of  a  social  order  that 
inhibits  its  supreme  activity  and  progress. 

We  cannot  look  for  a  renascence  of  love  until  we 
understand  the  meaning  of  sex  in  human  affairs. 
We  are  hurled,  as  it  were,  from  rock  to  brier  in 
our  ideas  upon  the  erotic  power.  One  person  guides 
us  to  the  obstructing  boulder  of  the  mind  that  love 
is  simply  carnal  desire;  another  leads  us  to  the  en- 
tangling brier  that  "  spiritual "  love  is  something 
wholly  sunderable  from  all  desire  of  the  senses. 
One  moralist  teaches  that  our  only  hope  of  sal- 


280      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

vation  from  the  fetters  of  a  gross  instinctive  im- 
pulse is  in  an  abnormal  and  constant  asceticism. 
The  prescriptions  and  the  proscriptions  are  so  be- 
wildering and  numerous  that  the  mass  of  our  young 
men  and  women  are  without  any  sure  light  to  their 
feet  in  a  journey  beset  with  constant  dangers  and 
dilemmas. 

The  daily  spectacle  of  the  sightless  or  the  purblind 
endeavouring  to  lead  the  inexperienced  among  the 
morasses  and  thorns  of  the  erotic  life  is  a  lamentable 
reflection  upon  our  widely  proclaimed  culture  and 
morality.  Many  of  us  act  criminally  towards  the 
young  by  withholding  the  truth  that  alone  can  pro- 
tect. We  utter  a  few  wise  saws,  whisper  an  injunc- 
tion of  "  purity,"  without  knowing  ourselves  what 
"  purity "  or  "  chastity "  really  mean,  and  leave 
practical  guidance  untouched.  We  deliberately,  in 
the  majority  of  cases,  obscure  the  truth  under  the 
fatal  delusion  that  darkening  facts  promotes  a  fa- 
cility for  virtue.  That  is  to"  say,  we  send  our  boys 
and  girls  on  an  errand  along  a  cliff  edge,  assuring 
them  that  the  path  is  dangerous,  while  we  carefully 
blindfold  them  upon  starting.  Such  is  the  outcome 
of  the  reticences,  the  deceptions,  the  evasions  and 
the  false  modesty  which  influenced  the  mass  of  us 
in  our  childhood.  We  know  that  below  the  cliff  are 
the  ruthless  sea  and  the  jagged  reefs,  and  that  many 
in  our  experience  have  stumbled  to  death.  Yet  we 
are  silent,  or,  if  we  whisper,  we  confuse  or  mis- 
lead. And  we  say  that  We  love  our  children. 

It  is  time  that  we  taught  ourselves  and  our  chil- 


THE  MENACE  OF  IGNORANCE     281 

dren  that  the  love  of  man  and  woman  is  not  an 
ethereal  essence,  entirely  sublimated  or  separated 
from  the  physical  impulsion,  and  prevented  others 
from  equally  deceiving  them  by  suggesting  that  love 
simply  -means  sexual  intercourse.  We  must  tell 
them  the  truth,  because  it  is  beautiful  and  of  good 
report.  We  must  explain  that  out  of  this  imperious 
bodily  craving  has  developed  a  transcendently  mar- 
vellous emotion  that  purifies  and  exalts  the  soul, 
that  increases  sympathy  and  unselfishness,  that  ir- 
radiates from  the  family  to  the  community,  that 
quickens  the  sense  of  beauty,  deepens  moral  and 
religious  feeling,  and  vitalises  all  the  powers  of 
humanity. 

Shall  this  be  our  basis  of  teaching,  an  instruction 
begun  tenderly  by  the  mother,  and  continued  by  those 
entrusted  with  the  care  of  the  child  and  the  adoles- 
cent; or  shall  we  perpetuate  the  present  neglect, 
which  leaves  our  children  the  prey  to  forbidding 
fancies,  to  idle  and  mischievous  presuppositions,  to 
doubts  and  alarms,  and  to  the  degrading  and  de- 
structive influence  of  the  untaught,  the  half -enlight- 
ened, the  viciously  frivolous,  the  indecent  and  the 
vile-minded  ? 


CHAPTER  II 
WOMAN'S  PART  IN  SEX  EDUCATION 


THERE  is  a  general  view  among  reformers  of  the 
vital  branch  of  education  discussed  in  these  pages 
that  the  primary  teacher  should  be  the  mother. 
This  brings  us  to  a  consideration  of  the  relation  of 
the  Woman's  Movement,  or  Feminism,  to  the  sub- 
ject of  sex.  Upon  woman  devolves  the  principal 
share  in  the  transmission  of  life  and  the  upbringing 
of  children.  If  women  are  even  less  capable  and 
prepared  than  men  for  the  task  of  training  the 
young  in  the  laws  of  life,  this  incapacity  requires 
an  immediate  remedy,  because  upon  the  initial  di- 
rection depends  almost  all  the  chances  of  success  in 
later  education. 

The  freeing  of  women  from  the  shackles  of  the 
barbaric  ages  is  not  simply  a  matter  of  admission 
to  the  electorate,  the  amelioration  of  legal  enact- 
ments bearing  upon  marriage  and  divorce,  and  in- 
dustrial reforms.  Most  important  of  all  is  the  re- 
moval of  the  hampering  prejudice  that  has  placed 
an  understanding  of  the  sex  question  outside  of  the 
Held  of  women's  education.  The  greater  part  of 
life  must  no  longer  be  regarded,  as  Henry  James 

282 


WOMAN'S  PART  283 

once  said,  as  "  a  sealed  book  to  the  virgin."  Intel- 
lectual emancipation  should  accompany  liberation 
from  civic  and  social  injustice. 

It  has  been  a  part  of  the  "  polite  education  "  of 
women  to  exclude  or  to  hide  the  great  truths  of  the 
human  fundamental  instincts.  Women  have  ac- 
quiesced in  this  taboo  upon  knowledge  from  a  mis- 
taken self-protective  sense.  But  this  shrinking 
from  the  light,  though  it  has  always  gratified  the 
more  sensuous  types  of  men,  who  would  have 
women  "  innocent  "•  -  which  simply  means,  in  this 
respect,  childish  and  ignorant  —  and  appeased  the 
patriarchal  males,  who  adhere  to  the  code  of  fem- 
inine subjection,  has  never  been  a  protection  for 
woman.  This  ignorance  has,  on  the  contrary, 
proved  one  of  the  gravest  dangers  of  womanhood. 
The  chief  source  of  the  tragedies  of  woman's  life 
is  to  be  sought  in  the  moral  conflicts,  the  emotional 
stress,  the  conjugal  and  domestic  problems,  and  the 
multiform  difficulties  arising  from  the  relations  of 
the  sexes  and  the  function  of  maternity. 

Besides  the  high  chance  of  a  life  of  involuntary 
celibacy,  women  are  exposed  to  greater  risks  of  un- 
happiness  in  marriage  than  the  mass  of  men.  For 
many  reasons,  the  home  remains  the  normal  sphere 
of  woman,  in  spite  of  the  great  increase  of  women 
workers  in  most  professions  and  trades.  So  long 
as  the  racial  instinct  exists,  woman  will  be  the  chief 
maker  of  the  home,  and  will  find  her  highest  sat- 
isfaction in  family  life.  Woman's  welfare  is  there- 
fore even  more  dependent  upon  a  peaceful  and 


284      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

pleasant  domestic  environment  than  the  well-being 
of  the  average  man  is  dependent  upon  the  "  fire- 
side clime."  Marriage  to  the  great  multitude  of 
women  means  motherhood,  the  cooperation  of  man 
in  founding  the  family,  the  consummation  of  strong 
yearnings  for  affection  and  sympathy,  and  the  ful- 
filment of  imperative  functions.  Upon  wedlock  the 
greater  number  of  women  stake  all  their  chances 
of  happiness. 

It  is  painfully  apparent  that  a  large  proportion 
of  wives  never  realise  their  maiden  dreams  of  mar- 
ried love.  They  may  not  repine  openly,  nor  resign 
themselves  to  hopeless  despondency;  but  the  sense 
of  disappointment  is  often  present,  and  only  slightly 
relieved  by  the  reflection  that  disillusionment  is  the 
common  lot  of  the  married,  and  that  what  cannot 
be  cured  must  be  endured.  The  view  that  it  is  bet- 
ter to  be  unfortunately  mated  than  not  married  is 
not  an  invariable  consolation.  An  unhappily  mar- 
ried woman  is  very  frequently  more  unhappy  than 
her  spinster  sister.  She  may  suffer  more  in  health 
of  mind  and  body  than  the  celibate  woman  whose 
love  emotion  has  never  been  vitally  stirred. 

The  radical  causes  of  conjugal  infelicity  among 
women  are  ignorance  of  their  own  physiological 
and  psychic  organisation,  misapprehension  of  nat- 
ural laws  governing  sex  union,  and  a  very  imper- 
fect understanding  of  the  nature  of  man.  This 
lack  of  the  knowledge  requisite  for  successful  mat- 
rimony is  frequently  entirely  unconscious.  The 
maiden  has  not  the  least  intimation  of  her  pro- 


WOMAN'S  PART  285 

found  ignorance,  or  at  the  most  she  is  only  vaguely 
aware  of  this  deficiency.  She  is  urged  into  be- 
trothal and  marriage  by  sentiment,  the  glamour  of 
love,  the  desire  for  a  home  of  her  own,  and  the 
conventional  view  that  marriage  gives  social  status 
to  a  woman.  Frequently  her  strongest  passions  are 
not  concerned.  She  is  unaware  of  their  very  ex- 
istence. Courtship  may  awaken  dormant  impulse; 
but  the  full  import  of  the  desires  are  not  grasped, 
or  they  may  be  strenuously  resisted  as  evil  prompt- 
ings. The  ardour  of  the  wooer  may  bewilder  and 
even  affront  the  inexperienced  girl,  and  her  natural 
feminine  reserve  and  modesty  may  become  an  ab- 
normal or  morbid  revulsion  after  marriage. 

The  woman  who  has  been  sedulously  instructed 
from  girlhood  that  sex  is  essentially  "  our  lower 
desires,"  and  that  the  ways  of  nature  are  myste- 
riously shameful,  and  the  woman  who  has  received 
no  counsel  of  any  kind  are  in  the  gravest  peril  of 
misfortune  in  wedlock.  They  may  pass  the  greater 
part  of  their  lives  in  a  peculiarly  acute  process  of 
ridding  themselves  of  the  deep-rooted  thorns  im- 
planted in  the  mind  through  direct  teaching  of  a 
false  kind,  or  the  growths  that  have  accumulated 
through  secret  personal  speculation  and  surmise. 
Marriage  is  for  many  men  and  womenxa  hard  school 
for  unlearning  the  misconceptions  and  fallacies 
formed  in  the  mind  during  childhood  and  youth. 

Divested  of  the  human  right  of  preliminary  the- 
oretical knowledge,  the  bride  is  entirely  dependent 
upon  the  initiation  of  the  husband.  Realisation  is 


286     A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

sudden,  vehement  and  frequently  poignant.  The 
man  is  usually  as  ignorant  of  his  wife's  deepest 
psychic  and  physical  needs  as  she  is  of  his.  Neither 
of  the  partners  in  this  great  undertaking  is  cognisant 
of  the  manifold  risks  to  which  their  ignorance  or 
their  miseducation  exposes  them.  They  rely  wholly 
upon  the  fact  that  they  are  in  love  with  one  an- 
other. They  have  not  learned  that  the  art  of  love 
is  the  sole  conservator  of  affection  in  marriage. 

ii 

We  are  wont  to  believe  that  feminine  resistance 
to  sane  instruction  in  sex  matters  is  a  deep-seated, 
even  hereditary,  characteristic.  Experience  proves 
that  this  conception  is  erroneous.  The  indifference 
or  the  hostility  exhibited  by  many  persons  is  not 
innate  and  inherent.  This  apathy  rarely  exists  in 
the  child  of  normal  intelligence.  There  is  a  budding 
curiosity,  which  is  perfectly  natural  and  comprehen- 
sible. The  child  is  deeply  impressed  by  the  birth  of 
a  baby  in  the  home,  and  questions  arise  in  his  or 
her  mind.  Children  are.  witnesses  of  the  caresses 
that  the  parents  lavish  upon  one  another.  They 
hear  of  love-making,  engagements  and  marriages. 
But  the  little  girl,  especially,  is  silenced  or  reproved 
when  she  seeks  to  appease  her  curiosity,  and  grad- 
ually and  surely  she  absorbs,  in  the  innermost  parts 
of  her  mind,  the  idea  that  this  or  that  is  a  "  rude  " 
topic,  or  a  "  naughty  "  one. 

This  method  of  suppression  is  maintained  in  the 
nursery  and  elaborated  when  the  girl  approaches  pu- 


WOMAN'S  PART  287 

berty.  She  is  tutored  in  the  belief  that  the  things 
she  longs  most  to  know  are  "  unmentionable,"  "  im- 
proper," "  not  nice."  A  whole  vocabulary  of  argot- 
terms  is  invented -in  many  households  to  describe 
necessary  physical  needs  and  acts.  Direct  speech, 
even  if  necessar^,  is  interdicted.  The  awful  topics 
must  be  broached  in  shameful  whispers,  and  new 
words  coined  to  express  natural  functions.  Cer- 
tain books  are  placed  on  the  parental  index.  There 
is  a  constant,  almost  feverish  anxiety  lest  the  girl 
of  fourteen  should  know  "  these  things  that  no  nice 
girl  should  know."  There  is  a  strict  code  of  mod- 
est posture,  demeanour,  reticence  and  thought,  which 
intensely  accentuates  the  girl's  reserve,  but  by  no 
means  diminishes  her  inquisitiveness. 

This  "  education  "  is  often  carried  to  incredibly 
ridiculous  lengths.  The  girl  is  told  practically  that 
virtue  and  attractiveness  are  synonymous  with  a 
colossal  ignorance  of  life,  until  she  may  cherish  an 
ideal  that  dullness  and  stupidity  are  the  greatest  of 
feminine  charms.  The  censorship  upon  the  acquisi- 
tion of  knowledge  of  the  fundamental  matters  of 
human  existence  fosters  an  apathy  towards,  or  a  re- 
coil from,  learning  in  general.  The  curiosity,  which 
is  the  hopeful  germ  of  an  inquiring  spirit  and  habit, 
is  starved,  or  destroyed,  or  diverted  from  the  sub- 
jects that  matter  to  idle  inquisition  about  the  petty 
doings  of  neighbours  and  trivial  gossip  and  scandal- 
spreading. 

When  the  ill-educated  young  woman  reaches  the 
age  of  marriage,  her  mind  is  a  mass  of  misconcep- 


288      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

tions,  pruderies,  prejudices,  disgusts  and  monstrous 
errors  in  all  that  relates  to  sex  love.  From  sheer 
ignorance,  she  may  have  formed  habits  that  will 
mar  or  ruin  conjugal  harmony.  Her  upbringing 
may  become  the  direct  cause  of  recoil  from  normal 
married  love,  or  of  erotic  hysterical  or  neurasthenic 
symptoms  that  will  bring  misery  to  herself  and  her 
husband. 

These  instances  of  the  detrimental  effects  upon 
the  character  and  mind  of  women,  when  reasonable 
knowledge  is  withheld  or  discountenanced,  are  not 
hypothetical,  but  typical  of  average  homes  in  so- 
cieties described  as  "cultured."  We  may  note 
numerous  families  among  our  acquaintances  wherein 
the  young  men  are  more  or  less  promiscuous  in  their 
sex  relations,  scornful  of  chastity,  and  entirely  dis- 
regardful  of  their  responsibility  to  the  race;  while 
the  young  women  are  scrupulously  shielded  from 
vital  knowledge,  generally  stunted  in  intelligence, 
and  warped  in  judgment  upon  the  conduct  of  the 
sex  life  in  relation  to  morality,  hygiene  and  ma- 
ternity. It  cannot  be  said  that  youth  brought  up 
with  these  pernicious  falsities  of  a  varying  standard 
of  sex  morality  for  men  and  women,  without  scien- 
tific knowledge,  and  without  reverence  for  love  and 
parentage,  are  likely  to  hand  on  a  finer  tradition  to 
their  descendants. 

It  is  extremely  doubtful  whether  the  prudish  op- 
position to  sexual  enlightenment  is  mainly  feminine. 
I  am  inclined  to  the  opinion  that  the  resistance  is 
stronger  in  men,  and  that  the  legitimate  desire  of 


WOMAN'S  PART  289 

woman  to  learn  has  been  immensely  inhibited  by 
masculine  objection.  There  is  every  possible  evi- 
dence that  men  have  stubbornly  resisted  women's  de- 
mands for  a  broader  education.  This  hostility  to 
the  cultivation  of  the  mind  of  woman  is  powerfully 
instanced  in  the  matter  of  sex  education.  We  know 
fathers  of  families  who  think  that  boys  may  be 
allowed  to  learn  a  few  physiological  facts,  but  that 
girls  should  be  kept  in  the  darkest  possible  ig- 
norance until  marriage.  The  main  desire  of  the 
austerely  conservative  conventional  man  has  been 
to  preserve  the  patriarchal  tradition  of  the  "  pro- 
tection "of  women  through  ignorance. 

Although  an  intelligent,  inquiring  adolescent  girl 
may  desire  an  essential  understanding  of  life,  she 
is  rarely  able  to  express  this  longing  frankly.  She 
is  forced  to  conceal  her  curiosity.  This  conceal- 
ment is  necessary  in  the  environment  in  which  she 
is  reared  and  educated.  Candid  inquiry  would  be 
deemed  unwomanly  or  improper;  therefore  the  girl 
is  forced  to  assume  an  attitude  of  incuriosity  and  of 
ignorance.  She  must  cherish  at  all  costs  a  reputa- 
tion for  extreme  delicacy  and  reserve.  Now  this 
self -protecting  pose  often  engenders  dissimulation, 
pretence  and  even  hypocrisy. 

Usually  a  woman  dare  not  be  truthful,  if  she 
desires  to  maintain  the  esteem  of  her  associates, 
and  especially  of  her  men  associates.  Men  say  that 
women  tend  to  be  untruthful,  deceptive,  and  secre- 
tive, forgetting  that  women  are  in  the  main  as 
men  wish  them  to  be.  If  truth  and  frankness  are 


290      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

condemned  as  unfeminine,  what  course  is  open  to 
women  in  the  mass  save  pretence  and  unveracity? 
We  say  that  women  are  notoriously  inaccurate,  that 
they  have  no  apperception  of  scientific  precision,  and 
that  they  are  more  emotional  than  reflective.  But 
how  much  of  this  apparent  dislike  of  the  truth  is 
inherent  and  how  much  is  attributable  to  nurture, 
custom  and  social  influences?  I  believe  that  nine- 
tenths  of  woman's  tendency  to  intellectual  timidity 
is  due  simply  to  her  faulty  education  and  the  com- 
pliance with  masculine  standards  of  feminine  con- 
duct. 

The  natural  spirit  of  inquiry  in  women  concern- 
ing the  greatest  of  the  human  emotions  is  demon- 
strated by  the  fact  that  many  of  the  earliest  writers 
on  questions  of  sex  were  women.  It  is  shown  by 
the  avidity  with  which  novels  and  love  tales  are 
read  by  women.  This  desire  for  knowledge  is, 
above  all,  evidenced  by  the  intellectual  zeal  with 
which  educated  women  of  to-day  respond  to  the 
request  of  the  scientific  investigators  of  sex  prob- 
lems for  assistance  in  collecting  data  and  forming 
clear  opinions.  There  is  probably  not  a  single  vol- 
ume of  such  research  which  has  been  written  with- 
out the  co-operation  of  earnest  and  thoughtful 
women.  Furthermore,  some  of  the  most  valuable 
and  practical  modern  volumes  upon  sex  hygiene  are 
the  work  of  women. 

Whenever  intelligent  women  free  their  minds 
from  the  impedimenta  of  their  early  nurture  and 
the  resistances  fostered  by  the  vulgar,  social  view 


WOMAN'S  PART  291 

of  sex,  they  tend  to  excel  men  in  truth-telling,  in 
fine  intuition  and  in  courage.  They  realise  acutely 
the  absolute  need  for  plain  discussion  of  subjects 
that  deeply  concern  woman's  racial  obligations,  her 
relation  to  man,  her  social  status,  her  most  sacred 
emotions,  her  physical  well-being  and  the  culture 
of  her  mind. 

In  this  great  reform  I  look  confidently  for  the 
help  of  earnest-minded  women.  If  they  who  can 
aid  most  efficiently  in  producing  "  that  social  state 
of  mind  in  which  the*  whole  question  of  sex  will  be 
lifted  from  the  filth  of  the  street  to  its  proper 
spiritual  setting."  1 

in 

The  preoccupation  of  women  with  the  pofound 
emotion  that  unites  the  sexes  is  unquestionably  nor- 
mal. It  is  true  that  obsessions  occasionally  arise 
and  lead  to  erotomania,  or  an  excessive  yearning 
for  love.  But  the  natural  craving  for  man's  ar- 
dour and  affection  should  never  be  confused  with 
abnormality.  This  desire  should  be  made  one  of 
the  great  uplifting  and  spiritual  influences  of  young 
womanhood.  The  girl  who  with  sweet  candour  ad- 
mits a  longing  for  love  to  her  mother  should  not 
be  foolishly  reproved  or  idly  bantered;  but  the  as- 
piration should  be  welcomed  as  an  indication  of  a 
capacity  for  fulfilling  a  supreme  duty  and  a  natural 
destiny. 

There  are  persons  who  affect  that  an  interest  in 
1  Havelock  Ellis  in  New  Statesman,  25th  May  1918. 


'292   A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

love  is  a  sort  of  perversion,  and  who  class  as 
"  cranks  "  all  those  who  evince  a  desire  to  under- 
stand this  passion.  It  is  just  this  disesteem  of 
healthy  impulse  which  induces  self-deception  in 
women,  and  renders  them  morbidly  reserved  con- 
cerning their  strongest  emotions.  The  dread  of  con- 
tempt or  derision  drives  the  perfectly  sane  desires 
into  the  darkest  corners  of  the  mind,  where  they 
are  apt  to  become  transformed  into  "  submerged 
complexes." 

We  must  destroy  the  falsehood  that  it  is  un- 
seemly or  immodest  for  an  adolescent  girl,  or  for 
any  woman,  to  confess  a  longing  for  love  and  mar- 
riage. It  should  be  known  that  sexual  precocity  in 
childhood  is  more  frequent  among  girls  than  boys, 
and  that  girls  are  more  susceptible  than  their 
brothers  to  an  early  development  of  sentimental  love. 
We  should  recognise  also  that  the  deprivation  of 
love  has  more  injurious  physical  and  mental  results 
upon  women  than  men.  Furthermore,  the  craving 
for  motherhood  is,  in  a  vast  number  of  women, 
the  profoundest  of  all  human  longings.  These  are 
facts  that  should  convince  us  of  the  immense  sway 
of  love  in  woman's  life.  The  dominance  of  the 
reproductive  impulse  is  more  diffused  and  more 
important  in  the  female  than  in  the  male.1 

It  is  therefore  apparent  that  rational  sex  educa- 
tion is  of  extreme  importance  for  women,  not  only 
for  their  personal  well-being,  but  in  the  interest  of 
their  children  and  the  community  at  large.  The 
1  See  The  Psychology  of  Marriage,  chapter  iv. 


WOMAN'S  PART  293 

whole  social  attitude  to  the  sexual  relationship  could 
be  raised  if  women  were  more  solicitous  in  this 
matter.  As  it  is,  the  sex  question  is  not  seriously 
considered  by  the  bulk  of  the  mothers  of  the  race. 
This  apathy  has  lamentable  results  upon  the  young, 
who  should  look  to  the  mother  for  the  natural  ap- 
peasing of  childish  curiosity. 

Beginning  with  prudent  and  sympathetic  enlight- 
enment in  the  home,  the  training  of  girls  in  this 
sphere  of  racial  and  civic  science  should  be  con- 
tinued in  the  schools  in  graduated  biological  class 
teaching,  in  private  and  personal  conversation  with 
capable  instructors,  and  in  the  direction  of  a  choice 
of  suitable  reading.  The  time  may  not  be  far  off 
when  we  shall  institute  schools  for  preparing  young 
men  and  women  for  marriage  and  parentage.  We 
shall  probably  recognise  that  a  training  for  con- 
jugality is  quite  as  important  as  a  training  for 
business. 

In  these  colleges  students  would  be  taught,  as  a 
part  of  general  culture,  that  it  is  the  first  duty  of 
men  and  women  to  understand  the  nature  of  the 
fundamental  physiological  and  psychic  differences 
between  the  sexes.  Race  improvement  would  be 
elevated  to  the  status  of  religion  or  ethics.  The 
care  of  motherhood  would  be  respected  as  an  im- 
perative social  duty.  Child  nurture  would  be  based 
upon  sound  psychology  and  scientific  hygiene. 

We  may  already  see  portents  of  a  new  estimate 
of  sexual  love  as  a  prime  moralising  and  socialising 
influence.  The  war  has  deepened  some  of  the  prob- 


294      A  TEXTBOOK  OF  SEX  EDUCATION 

lems  of  sex,  and  aroused  a  spirit  of  inquiry  and  a 
widespread  solicitude  for  the  diffusion  of  knowl- 
edge, which  will  aid  us  in  forming  a  practical 
morality  and  a  protective  hygiene. 


THE  END 


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'APR'62DH 

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REC'DLD 


